The Sunday Mail
Sports Reporter —
Zimbabwe soccer legend Moses Chunga says he will not respond to claims made by fellow retired fottballer Memory Mucherahowa in the latter’s biography – “The Soul of the Seven Million Dreams” – because “there are better things to do”.
In the soon-to-be published autobiography, Mucherahowa says Chunga will never be a great coach like Sunday “Mhofu” Chidzambwa due to his lack professionalism.
Chunga rarely shies away from a verbal tiff, but the journeyman coach seems to have no appetite for Mucherahow’s challenge – at least for now.
“I won’t respond to such, there are better things to do,” said the former Dynamos coach during the week.
“The Soul of Seven Million Dreams” gives interesting insights into the career of one of Dynamos’ most loyal sons.
Among other revelations, the former DeMbare captain speaks on how he used to smoke marijuana on the eve of big matches because he believed the drug was a performance enhancer.
Mucherahohwa reveals how he pulled all the stops to get weed ahead of the Caf Champions League final second leg tie away to Asec Mimosas of Cote d’Ivoire in 1998.
“Those days we used to smoke weed a lot. Marijuana. This was because of the unfortunate belief that it boosted our performance on the field,” he writes.
“Unfortunately, in this instance we did not have the weed with us. Ghana-born (George) Owusu, who was familiar with the local language (in Cote d’Ivoire), managed to solicit for weed from a young man who easily passed for a rough sleeper.
“Security was not tight at the lodge where we were staying, so the young boy did not have problems locating my room where we were waiting for him.”
Apparently the weed from the streets of Abidjan was so “good” that Mucherahohwa and Owusu ended up missing their supper.
Mucherahowa also relives how Chidzambwa found his trusted skipper with weed in his room.
“On reflection, if I had a chance to do things differently, I should have hidden the weed because Mhofu was a strict disciplinarian,” he says. “He did not want his players to smoke weed and I knew it. On this incident, Mhofu just looked at the table and saw the marijuana. He did not utter a word with regards to that. But obviously he was seething with anger.”
