The Sunday Mail
Don Makanyanga
HE is a police constable, he is also an electrician by profession and during weekends he has developed a knack for destroying Premiership giants.
This is Gatrhly Chipuka, the 39-year Bulawayo Chiefs coach who is slowly assuming the giant-killer tag.
Last weeked he ended Ngezi Platinum Stars’ unbeaten run in the 2018 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League with a 1-0 win in Bulawayo.
In April, he handed defending champions FC Platinum their first defeat in almost a year after masterminding a 2-0 win over the Zvishavane miners.
2016 champions Caps United had to come back and snatch a 2-2 when they travelled to Bulawayo Chiefs early in the season. He is planning another giant-killing act today when Amakhosi Amahle play Bulawayo giants Highlanders at Barbourfields.“Football is my passion and I always juggle between the two since I am a serving member of the police force. And I always feel that the police work which involves a lot of strategic planning does play a pivotal role in my coaching,” revealed Chipuka.
“I am also a qualified electrician and I do that in my spare time.”
Chipuka is having his first dance with the Premier League seven years after acquiring his CAF A coaching badge.
He believes there is nothing special about Premier League football, despite having had a chilling cold in his spine when he was appointed to head the Bulawayo Chiefs at the start of the year.
“When I was offered a job by Chiefs at the start of the year, I remember the fear I had until Thulani Sibanda convinced me to take up the job, and six months down the line I am realising that there is nothing special about Premier League football,” said Chipuka.
Surely with a modest side, that is reeling under financial challenges Chipuka has every reason to believe.
But what has been his secret to the giant-killing act that the law enforcement agent has been perpetrating on the league giants.
“Luveve is our fortress, our players always feel motivated at the prospect of leaving everything on the pitch and be recorded as the team that beat the big guns,” he said before wading into the title race debate between the two platinum sides.
“I think Ngezi Platinum have better chances of winning the league title. They have better depth than FC Platinum,” he says. But he has to focus on Madinda Ndlovu’s Highlanders today.
“It’s just another derby we intend to give a good account of ourselves. We have prepared for the match very well and the only problem we have is dealing with the multitude of supporters they have. I actually admire Madinda because of the courage he has shown at Highlanders. Most big teams are buying players these days which in my opinion is a great idea in the face of the economic environment,” said Chipuka.
The 39-year-old gaffer bemoans his lack football playing experience in the top flight as the reason why it took him so long to get a job with a Premier League club despite sharing a desk with a number of respected coaches when he attained his CAF A coaching badge in 2011. “I was in the same class with the likes of Lloyd Chitembwe, Takesure Chiragwi, Dodo (Darlington) to mention a few.
“The problem that I and other coaches who did not play football at the highest level have is that of teams lacking trust of us, but we always tell them that it doesn’t take one to be a former premier league player to be a good coach,” said Chipuka.
