The nine lives of Clement Matawu

29 Oct, 2017 - 00:10 0 Views
The nine lives of Clement Matawu

The Sunday Mail

WHEN Clement Matawu made his Premier Soccer League debut on April 8, 2001 ZPC Kariba forward Blessing “Gode” Nyamuzihwa was two-years-old.

As Chicken Inn played against Nyamuzihwa’s ZPC Kariba at Nyamhunga yesterday, the Gamecocks’ midfielder took time to reflect on a 16-year journey which began at Mucheke Stadium in Masvingo.

A journey that has seen him appear on the Soccer Stars calendar a remarkable five times, winning it once in 2006.

Matawu, who made his Premiership bow with the now defunct Motor Action, is a key member of a title-chasing Chicken Inn side – and looks like he can go on for another 16 years.

What’s the secret to his longevity?

“I just enjoy playing football, so I try to keep myself in shape. I guess I am lucky because I am able to understand my body,” he said.

“Dedication, discipline and hard work have also been key in my career. My wife Angeline and my two kids Martinah and Jayden also inspire me. In a nutshell, that is why I have the proverbial nine lives of a cat!”

Matawu was 19 and in A-Level at Churchill High when he came on as a second half substitute as the Mighty Bulls fell 0-1 to Masvingo United.

Black Rhinos legend Hamid “Muzukuru” Dhana, who was the Motor Action coach, handed Matawu his debut.

“I thought I would just be an unused substitute but the coach had other ideas and he threw me into the fray midway through the first half.

“I was excited to get my first taste of Premiership football but struggled with kit. I was too small so I had to roll up the shorts and tuck the jersey in so that I could run,” recalled Matawu.

At Motor Action, Matawu played alongside Prince Matore who later became his coach after the midfielder returned from a short stint in Poland. Francis “Gazza” Jeyman, Salim Milanzi, Alisara Kondowe, Tinashe “Father” Nengomasha, Alvin Ndunduma, Mavuto Chapani, Mike Bingadadi and Edmore Mufema were also part of the team.

All have long since retired.

At the Mighty Bulls, Matawu was a favourite of club owners Eric and Liz Rosen.

“My story would not be complete without mentioning the Rosen family, Eric the late and my other mum Elizabeth. They taught me the virtues of life and took me in as their own son. Up to now I still get in touch with Mai Rosen, she is a good mother,” said Matawu.

In 2009 Matawu was shipped to Poland thanks to Wieslaw Grabowski’s influence and played for Division One side Podbeskidzie Bielsko Biala until June 2010. He moved a rung up into the Ekstraklasa, Poland’s top flight league, where he featured for Polonia Bytom until 2011.

However, injuries dogged Matawu and he retraced his footsteps to Motor Action, before moving to Chicken Inn in 2013 where he won the only Premiership medal of his 16-year journey in 2015.

Although his stint in Poland was short-lived Matawu, looks back at it without regrets.

“I would need the whole day to talk about the enormous experience I got from Poland. That was the best moment in my football life. I learnt most of the personal training techniques I follow religiously in that country.”

Matawu, who enjoys a bottle of wine once in a while, also appears to benefit from being a student of Sports Science and Coaching at the National University of Science and Technology.

“Sport is scientific and needs to be studied. I am a sports person and I want to take the route of sports science when I hang up my boots,” said the midfielder.

With the 2017 race going into the last four games, and Chicken Inn still in with a chance to win it, Matawu doesn’t want to talk about the end of this campaign.

“We will judge our season at the end of it, now it’s still premature,” he said.

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