The Sunday Mail
Aces Youth Academy director Marc Duvillard says the Supersport-bound George Chigova has not yet developed into a complete player and fears his move to South Africa will further stall his progress. Chigova is an AYSA graduate.
Duvillard laments the lack of “up to date” goalkeepers’ coaches in Zimbabwe and reckons Chigova’s talent could have been “somewhere by now” had he spent the last two years in the hands of a specialist. “What we have here is a goalie who is not a normal Zimbabwean because of his physical build. At close to two metres tall and an attractive age, Chigova is physically ready for Europe. However, the problem is that his technical development was not handled properly from the time he left the academy mainly because we do not have specialist goalkeepers’ trainers in the country.
“It is sad that George still makes some mistakes which he shouldn’t be making right now.” Chigova has been under the tutelage of Dynamos goalkeepers’ coach Tichaona Diya since 2012 when he signed from former Premiership champions Gunners. Duvillard believes it would have been better for Chigova to join a lowly European side, “even a third tier side”, as this would have equipped him with the requisite techniques and tactics before he reaches “the crucial goalkeeping age of 25.”
The Swiss added that the goalkeeper has most of the attributes needed for a goalkeeper to make it into any of Europe’s top leagues and hopes the 23-year-old falls into “the right hands” at Supersport United.
“George has got everything needed to become a top goalkeeper who can play in top European leagues. This is the right time for him to move out of Zimbabwe and get more exposure especially now that the Warriors are out of the Afcon race. However, I am worried about the quality of the South African Premiership and its ability to enhance our players’ skills. Yes he is going to get more cash, buy a car and a house, but will he develop? I doubt,”
At Supersport United, Chigova will work under former Bafana Bafana goalkeepers’ coach Alex Heredia.
