The Sunday Mail
IT’S astonishing that the Warriors medical team has not been asked to explain why it took them eternity to diagnose that Elisha Muroiwa was unfit to continue in battle during the 0-1 Chan opening loss to Zambia.
A fully fledged team, led by a guy who is said to be a medical doctor ought to have realised very quickly that the Dynamos central defender was in no shape to continue the moment they got to him.
As it turned out, they spent “three minutes” trying to stitch him up while forgetting to signal to Kallisto Pasuwa and his assistant coaches that a replacement was needed.
During that moment of sleeping on the wheel, on the pitch Chipolopolo pounced with Isaac Chansa making the most of one of the few chances that his team created.
One could point out that Chansa was played onside by Ocean Mushure – had Gungwa stepped up with the rest of his defenders, that Zambian goal would have probably been ruled out for offside.
However, that is not where the buck stops.
This one stops on the medical team’s hotel room and ultimately the head of it.
One Somani Mudariki leads the Warriors medical team and everyone calls him “Dhokezha”, presumably because he is a doctor.
A man who went to a medical school, a man who can be trusted with the health of our beloved team.
Va Shagare is yet to meet Mudariki but from the events that unfolded in Rwanda, yours truly is tempted to charge that he behaved more like an ambulance driver than a doctor.
Let’s get something clear.
I am not saying Mudariki is not a doctor and neither am I saying he is one – all I am saying is that the guy messed it up so bad against Zambia.
He messed up so bad that some of us have suddenly become interested in knowing his qualifications or lack thereof.
Pasuwa hinted at the medical team letting him down against Zambia.
“I had to wait for a signal from the team doctor and he took three minutes to decide on the substitution and that cost us,” the Warriors mentor was quoted as saying during the week.
Just imagine if Mudariki was the man in charge when Fabrice Muamba suffered a cardiac arrest during an FA Cup match between his Bolton Wanderers and Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane on 17 March, 2012.
The guy would have died.
Medical teams are an integral part of a football team and its members must be switched on at all times.
Anything else is not acceptable.
In my book, the Warriors medical team should be charged with negligence, even treason.
This is the national team for crying out loud!
Maybe the Zifa board should embark on a thorough human resource audit.
It is possible to have a guy who has a first aid course from Red Cross and drives an ambulance for City of Harare heading the Warriors medical team.
It is also possible to have a guy who once worked as Cuthbert Dube’s informant playing a key role in the Zifa finance department when the only certificate he has is the one that Tobaiwa Mudede is mandated to issue.
VaShagare exits the scene!
VaShagare is the founder of DeMbare DotComs and can be contacted on that Facebook page as well as the email shagare18area.gmail.com
