The Sunday Mail
OVER 51 hours of consistent football, two goals to his credit and another three in his own net, best summarises Guthrie “Tollgate” Zhokinyu’s 2017 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League season.
At 34, the central defender still found the strength to play all the full 34 league games, translating to over 3 060 minutes of football for Triangle, without getting neither a yellow nor a red card.
Phenomenal!
It has been an amazing comeback for the former Dynamos skipper who at one time was a common figure in Harare’s betting houses, trying to eke out a living whilst serving a life ban from football.
Zhokinyu spent close to four seasons on the sidelines after he was banned from football by the Cuthbert Dube-led Zifa for allegedly participating in the Asiagate match-fixing scandal.
The crunch centre back was handed a life ban by the Justice Ebrahim-led Independent Ethics Committee for his part in the 2009 Cecafa Senior Challenge tournament in which he was accused of coordinating the illegal exchange of money between convicted match fixer Raj Perumal and the Warriors team.
He only returned in 2016, after Philip Chiyangwa lifted all the bans upon assuming office in December 2015.
But Zhokinyu’s comeback was not that easy.
He was rejected by many, including his former club Dynamos and he suffered more anguish.
The pain was even more than the torture he endured when he was banned from football for life.
Only “Bla Yogi” opened his arms and Zhokinyu found the comfort he yearned for in Triangle, 426km away from the capital Harare, the only place he could call home.
That was beginning of the 2016 season, after Zhokinyu had spent over three seasons without kicking a ball but David “Yogi” Mandigora, then with Triangle, still believed in the man they call “Tollgate.”
“I know he hasn’t reached his full potential, he can only get better,” Mandigora was quoted as saying at the beginning of the 2016 season.
And Zhokinyu has indeed gotten better as he was one of the few players in the league to have played all the 34 games without being substituted.
Godknows Murwira of Ngezi Platinum Stars is also one of the players in this elite league.
“Going for 34 league games playing 90 minutes in all the games is not a joke,” boasted Zhokinyu, when The Sunday Mail caught up with him during the week.
He is back in Harare for the Christmas holiday, recharging the batteries for the 2018 Castle Lager Premier League season.
“I think I can still go for more seasons if what I saw in the past two seasons is anything to go by.
“My body can still push harder and I always thanks God for protecting me from injuries throughout my entire career.
“I pray that when I finally retire, I will do so injury free,” said Zhokinyu.
The veteran defender who also starred for Caps United and the now defunct Shooting Stars has put the “dark” past behind him and is focused on working his way back to the top.
“Soccer is my life, I survive through this industry, so I must take the game seriously,” he said.
“A lot of people played a crucial part in my comeback, the Triangle technical team, the executive, the Tongaat Hulett board members, teammates and supporters all gave me the urge to soldier on.
“The Football Union of Zimbabwe also helped me through their programme for players without contracts.
“It was during those games they arranged that I was noticed by Triangle.
“I never stopped training even when I was still on the ban and I want to tell other players that even when you are not playing, give yourself a personal training programme to keep fit.”
Three own goals, wasn’t that too much?
“This was the first time I had scored an own goal in my entire career, scoring three goals into my own net, wow, that was another story!”
Zhokinyu’s coach, Taurai Mangwiro, speaks highly of the former Warriors defender.
“Mind you, he (Zhokinyu) never missed a single training session and that shows you his discipline levels.
“He has been a vital cog and has done very well in nurturing our two young defenders, Donald Dzvinyai and Kudzai Chigwida.
“As long as his legs keep carrying him, I believe he can play on and on,” said Mangwiro.
