Let’s support talent with proper facilities

RECENT moves to England by Marshall Munetsi and Cleopas Kundiona seem to have the local sporting fraternity daring to dream.

A fortnight ago, Munetsi, a footballer, moved from French Ligue 1 outfit Reims to English Premiership side Wolverhampton Wanderers, while Kundiona, a rugby player, moved from French Pro to a top English side and former champions, Northampton Saints.

Interestingly, the moves by both Zimbabwean internationals were just 24 hours apart.

After impressing on his club debut for Wolverhampton Wanderers during the 2-0 FA Cup victory last week, Bra Shakes is dying to see the 28-year-old Munetsi on the pitch today for his Premier League debut against the swashbuckling Liverpool, which is being powered by the little African magician, Mo Salah.

It would be both memorable and historic for a chap whose subliminal talent has taken him from the parched neighbourhood of Mabvuku to Paris and now the United Kingdom.

Almost all Zimbabweans will be glued to their screens to see their fellow countryman strutting his stuff against the league leaders.

While this will be feel-good stuff, Bra Shakes believes that for us to be taken seriously as a great sporting nation, we have to start taking ourselves seriously too.

What Munetsi and Kundiona’s moves essentially did was to gloss over the many challenges facing local sport, which, quite frankly, is in a mess.

Our sporting facilities do need a lot of work.

For goodness sake, Zimbabwe’s flagship team, the Warriors, is presently playing its home fixtures away from home, while Hartsfield, one of the country’s top rugby fields, is now more known as a recreational facility rather than a rugby venue.

Its decrepit state shows the low level we have reached in maintaining sporting facilities.

It is worse for athletics.

Athletes have to go to countries like Botswana and South Africa to compete and have their times officially recorded.

What we, however, have in abundance is talent.

So, it might be time for a total rethink.

With world-class facilities, we can no doubt scale stratospheric heights.

Chengetayi Mapaya, Tapiwanashe Makarawu and Makanakaishe Charamba have managed to prove this.

Mapaya was one of the top five triple jumpers in the world and has graced (qualified) top athletics events like the World Championships.

The duo of Charamba and Makarawu made it as far as the 200m finals at the Paris Olympics last year.

Now, what do these three have in common?

Well, all of them are based in the United States, where they are exposed to top facilities, coaches, nutritionists and other experts.

We need all that here.

A refreshing new team has now assumed the leadership of local football and rugby associations and must follow through their promises.

Tennis and athletics have started to see the light and it is time the rest of the country’s sporting codes and fraternity follow suit.

Sport has evolved into a multi-billion-dollar industry that is ready to reward talented athletes such as Munetsi and Kundiona.

We owe it to ourselves to continue producing many Munetsis who will showcase their talent to the world.

Until next time.

Peace!

Yours Sincerely,

Bra Shakes.