The Sunday Mail
Don Makanyanga
EDWARD and Sherilynn Sadomba go together like coffee and doughnuts, salt and pepper or rum and coke.
At most formal football functions, one is likely to find them arm in arm.
But their closeness goes beyond these gatherings.
Sadomba has just called time on his football playing career, one that spanned over 16 years. He has been saying his goodbyes to all and sundry — whether in Zimbabwe, South Africa or Sudan — with his wife in tow.
During one such tour in the United Arab Emirates —which houses some passionate supporters of Sadomba’s former Sudanese club Al Hilal — Sherilynn opened the lid on the life of a footballer’s wife.
Among the numerous anecdotes she revealed were the highs and lows of being a celebrity wife, tits bits on how they met, the fact that Sadomba might be aquaticphobic (an abnormal fear of water), and how much her husband loves his former club Dynamos.
For her, the celebrity lifestyle is a polarising subject.
“My greatest challenge has been having to partially lose my identity as an individual,” said Sherilynn.
“Don’t get me wrong, I’m a proud wife but sometimes you want to run your own race and have your personal identity — with your own credits and achievements — other than just being someone’s wife or mother.
“I play my role in society very well, as an individual, as a wife and as a mother. But with my husband’s name, it’s been a lot of work to keep both identities up and running at par.
“Luckily, I have since got the hang of it,” she said.
Being a prominent footballer’s wife also comes at a cost.
Sherilynn revealed that she had to go against the tide when she fell in love with a footballer as her extended family could not approve the relationship.
“When I started dating him, I wasn’t much into soccer so I didn’t know the stereotype affixed to that profession.
“Three years into the relationship, my cousin heard that I was dating a football player. This was big news in the family, with my extended family going against it. They even threatened to beat him up.
“To them, he was there to mess my life up and distract me from college,” she said.
Fortunately, love conquered all.
“My parents only heard about it the year I graduated. They asked if he was making me happy and if that’s what I really wanted.
“I said yes and the rest is history,” she said.
In as far as the man himself is concerned, Sherilynn has been his pillar of strength.
“She has stood by me through thick and thin. I am not sure I would have achieved all this without her support,’ said the outgoing Dynamos skipper.
These sentiments were echoed by the wife, who said she has never left Sadomba’s side.
“I’ve supported every team that he has played for, you get attached to those teams because they pay the bills, and their downfall is yours too.
“Eventually you grow to love the team.
“We have always moved together, even with the children, and this includes the countries in which he signed six-month contracts.
“We would globetrot together.
“The exposure was great, it’s given us a different perspective towards life,” she said.
Sherilynn’s most revealing anecdotes were reserved for the man himself, Sadomba, who she described as “quite a chilled person and someone who has never forgotten where he came from”.
“His story is about hard work, determination and grace.
“Survival on the streets of Mbare isn’t easy. The influence and poverty can do a lot to a whole generation.
“Edward comes from that type of background. Back then you wouldn’t get so many role models but he was so determined to be better, to leave Mbare and to provide a better life for his mother, who was a single parent after the death of his dad,” she said.
She also revealed that Mbare, and more specifically Dynamos, hold a special place in Sadomba’s heart.
“It’s quite possible that his blood could actually be blue.
“Many may never understand what playing for Dynamos in 2019 meant to him.
“He promised himself that he would go back there and not only make changes in the soccer field but also in the hearts of the players. lt meant so much to him to be able to share his ideas on improving the team with the administration.
“I actually saw my husband give up a lot of opportunities just to serve at Dynamos. lt didn’t make any sense to choose Dynamos over the offers that came but he still did that.
“That’s how much he loves DeMbare.”
And how is Duduza away from the playing field?
“He is very reserved and prefers being at home most times.
“He is also our kids’ preferred parent as he plays good cop with them. He is a great dad and a very prayerful person,” she said.
Without giving much away, she also revealed that her husband is possibly aquaphobic.
The duo is blessed with four kids, with the eldest two already following in their father’s footsteps.
“Our two sons — Elshaddai (11) and Adonai (10) — have the potential to be better than their father. They have already been offered scholarships. However, we have turned them down for now as we have better plans for them,” said Sherilynn.
