The Sunday Mail
Sir
18area.coms
HAVING the Barcelona Legends in town was refreshing, a real spectacle, but yours truly is still wondering whether this was an exercise worth doling out an alleged $1,5 million.
The figures involved in bringing Edgar Davids, Patrick Kluivert, Rivaldo and their supporting acts have not been made public yet.
However, talk of $1, 5 million is coming from several corners and there has been little rebuttal.
The Ministry of Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture was responsible for the initiative and after bombarding us with adverts about the clash of the legends, one would have expected them to come out with a “thank you Zimbabwe message.”
A financial breakdown of the whole thing would have been most welcome too.
Sir would have loved to hear an authoritative voice informing the nation how much each one of our legends got for playing against the Barcelona old boys.
But without such a voice coming through, yours truly had to do some digging.
My investigations established that each Zimbabwean player went home with $2 400, a tidy amount.
However, comparing what our legends got to what the Barcelona guys went back to Europe with puts everything into proper context.
Rumours that the Barca guys pocketed $250 000 in Mozambique further whets one’s appetite for the financial details of the game we watched at the National Sports Stadium last Sunday.
If indeed we doled out $1,5 million to Barcelona then our boys, no they are no longer boys save for Sadomba and to some extent Mazarura, should have been paid much, much more that the $2 400 they pocketed.
The locals played a key role in creating a spectacle last Sunday, a spectacle that would not have been possible with only the Barcelona Legends on the park.
Zenzo Moyo’s overhead kick — the one we used to call scissors as we grew up — was the stuff of real legends, Moses “Bambo” Chunga did his falling, Walter Magaya was called daddy each time he got possession and Tinashe Nengomasha reminded us why they called him the general across the Limpopo.
It was all hand bags but worth every minute.
But there was also going to be some extras after such a high profile affair.
There was the furore over Magaya’s involvement and Lazarus Muhoni’s tears over being left out of the team to mention but two hotspots.
I will not dwell much on the Magaya issue, Omega “Omz” Sibanda did a good job of explaining what an exhibition match means.
Well done Omz, now you can dump Arsenal since you have been proven to be smart.
Let me zoom on Muhoni, the former Warriors midfielder who desperately tried to force his way into the Legends team at the 11th hour.
The man who is famous for scoring that goal that sank Mali at the National Sports Stadium as Zimbabwe powered their way to Afcon 2014 could have made his case without throwing shade at some of his peers.
Whined Muhoni: “I called Zifa communications manager Xolisani Gwesela and he said it was too late and the list was already done. I went to the dressing room and spoke to Mhofu (Sunday Chidzambwa) and Peter (Ndlovu) and they all felt that there was an omission. How can a player like Ashley Rambanepasi be called a legend when we can’t fit in?”
Muhoni’s attempt to allege regionalism in team selection was comical.
Maybe Mali, as the former Black Rhinos man is nicknamed, deserved to be in that team but hey this is not the last game that will feature our legends.
Next time we will probably watch Muhoni, Peter “Chops” Fanwell, Alois Bunjira, Gilbert Mushangazhike, Vitallis Takawira, Mpumelelo Dzowa, Francis Chandida and Sabhuku Vharazipi in action.
Sir exits the scene!
Sir is a social media football commentator and be contacted on a [email protected]
