The Sunday Mail
Makomborero Mutimukulu
Sports Editor
When Kallisto Pasuwa and Lloyd Mutasa were inseparable Siamese twins, a prophet from the apostolic sect they both attended is said to have foretold how the pair would fall out and have contrasting fortunes as coaches.
It is claimed that he literally picked a needle from the haystack by “prophesying” about how Pasuwa would go on to rule the domestic Premiership as Dynamos coach while Mutasa moved from pillar to post.
“You will be successful at Dynamos but they will send you packing like a witch much to the amazement of the world.
“However, I see you getting another important assignment and the Lord told me that you will do well too as long as you continue to be a true Christian,” the prophet reportedly told Pasuwa.
Turning to Mutasa he is said to have advised: “The foundation of the success that Madzibaba Kallisto will have at Dynamos will have been laid by you but no one will give you credit for it.
“Your friendship will breakdown to such a point that you will go for months without talking to each other but my advice to you is never be jealous of Madzibaba Kallisto and watch your temper. Your season will come and you will have so much success at Dynamos.”
This was seven years ago.
Here is what has happened since then:
* In 2011 Lloyd Mutasa was appointed DeMbare coach and built a strong team but was fired midway through the season.
* Mutasa’s jettisoning saw Pasuwa coming in and going on to win four league titles on the bounce, between 2011 and 2014 – but his departure was unsavory and shocking.
* Pasuwa went on to be appointed the Warriors gaffer on a permanent basis and is just three points away from leading Zimbabwe to their third Africa Cup of Nations dance.
* While his erstwhile friend was covering himself in glory, the soft-spoken Mutasa was failing dismally at FC Platinum and overseeing Whawha’s immediate return to Division One.
* As fate would have it, Mutasa returned to Dynamos as assistant coach to a Portuguese clown who answered to the name Paulo Jorge Silva at the beginning of this year.
* It didn’t take long for DeMbare to unmask Silva for the joke that he was and hand over the reins to Mutasa, albeit on a temporary basis.
The interim DeMbare coach refused to comment specifically about the prophecy but sounded spiritual in his response.
“Sometimes things don’t work out as fast as you wish and you have to wait for God’s time but whilst waiting you have to work hard because success doesn’t come on a silver platter,” said Mutasa.
“In life we should know that God’s time is the best, probably my coming back is for a reason and I have to repay the faith my bosses have shown in me.
“I am not saying this is my time to prove a point, neither am I saying this is not my time, it is all about the chances you get in life and how you utilise them. I have been accorded another chance at DeMbare; it’s a slight opportunity that I have to grab with both hands.
“The good thing is we have the players, we have the multitudes of supporters behind us, we have corporate support from our sponsors BancABC and we have the leadership showing us the way … together we can do it.”
Mutasa’s second stint begins at Rufaro this afternoon with his hitherto out-of-sorts team facing an FC Platinum outfit that has been doing the business with finesse.
On his first day in charge, Mutasa called on the DeMbare players to “forgive, forget and enjoy the game”.
When Mutasa talks of enjoying the game he is talking of passing the ball. Mutasa will not stand with arms folded and watch his team hoof the ball up field more in hope than anything else.
He is a hopeless football romantic.
How long this latest affair with DeMbare remains the stuff for prophets but one certainty is that the Glamour Boys will be easy on the eye with Mutasa in charge.
