How DeMbare's Mangombe suspension killed my Perfect story

By Nigel Nyamutumbu

HARARE – Settling back from the drive from Zimbabwe's second capital, the City of Kings and Queens, Bulawayo, I had a story to tell.

Well, quite a few stories to tell.

For any journalist that has set foot in a structured newsroom, before you started working on any stories for that day or week, diary meetings are convened to test whether any story idea is worth pursuing.

This is normally a robust exercise.

After all, everywhere or everyone is making a story, one way or the other.

Never mind that the story idea is based on a newsworthy person or not. It may well be just be about an occasion that is intriguing to follow up on. Something in the journalism field we would call a "human interest story."

In my thought process, I was going to report about three moments that struck me during what was supposed to be a battle royale at Barbourfields Stadium between Zimbabwe's biggest clubs, Dynamos and Highlanders.

For the football-loving public of Zimbabwe, witnessing the country's biggest match, at a stadium where you get to enjoy both the electric atmosphere and the anxiety of danger, very few experiences beat the thrill of Barbourfields. It gives you such an experience Bulawayo tourism authorities must harvest on.

A draw between Highlanders is a fair result. Or at least so I thought.

I shared the thought with my colleague, Leopold Munhende, an award-winning journalist running a blossoming online football publication, Bhora Africa.

Ever so respectful, as a friend, whom I dearly hold as a young brother, Leo retorted: "no mukoma, it's a safe result."

As someone raised and familiar with the Bulawayo surroundings, I was persuaded to believe him. He was stone sure things wouldn't have ended well had DeMbare, his childhood team, had won.

The match was drawn 1-1.

I'm afraid, worse at the time, scared to declare that Dynamos is my childhood team as well.

Only that I long lost my fanatic side and I can go home comfortable with any result. Including my preferred DeMbare team's loss.

It had been close to two decades before witnessing a Bosso-DeMbare match in Bulawayo, I had to learn the ropes again.

Die-hard Highlanders fan Mlondolozi Ndlovu, a younger media colleague, had told me a story before the game as we downed a few cold ones at a bar located some 200m away from the stadium.

"Back in the day, you couldn't have a drink here if you were not Bosso," Ndlovu said.

The young journalist, now morphed into a trainer and lawyer, is among the many professional and respected Bosso fanatics.

With the pre-match vibe and the atmosphere for a great afternoon of football, I had a couple of story ideas to tell.

Not so much as a match report, something I last did at least close to two decades now.

Yet, my story was still about the football played on the field of play.

The match and its main actors.  I wanted to write about what my two most outstanding players on the day, Perfect Chikwende of Dynamos, as well as Mongameli Tshuma of Highlanders, had done that afternoon.

Both these players had what in my view, produced the most brilliant and memorable moments of the game.

Both created their teams’ scoring moments.

Yet on the other hand both had decisive moments that denied their teams maximum points.

Only that with Mongameli, whose Ndebele given name means leader, or if we are to trust Google, a decision-maker, his poor decision in the box seemed to cost more. And as clear-cut a chance as Perfect's decision to play the ball wide instead of along the middle line when DeMbare was going for the kill.

Perfect's decision to outplay and set up his teammate, Frank Ayemang, had been one of the match's highlights. The assist had not only gotten the equaliser, but also earned him the man-of the-match award.

Mongameli. The leader who Bosso loves to hate, had won the penalty but had also missed a glorious chance.

Stories both worth telling.

Unfortunately, typically Zimbabwean, before I could reach out for my keyboard, a bogus administrative decision has overtaken my original story.

Perhaps like Mongameli, Zimbabwean football administration gives you both. Decisive moments to determine the build up to great matches.

The perfect ingredients to remain with memories of the very actors that deserve all the attention.

Sadly, the Perfect story was short-lived. Quickly overtaken by some diabolical administrative decision of the suspension of DeMbare coach Genesis Mangombe over claims of juju, match-fixing and insubordination.

Rumours of the suspension or dismal had long been swirling around Mangombe.

The murmurs have been there.  I for one have heard about this impending decision from the corridors of the DeMbare leadership.

Only that I don't think it was a perfect moment. Players such as Mongameli and Perfect should dominate the footballing discourse.

Without getting into the intricacies, the DeMbare leadership's abrupt decision has unfortunately killed my perfect story.

*Nyamutumbu is a media development practitioner based in Harare. He can be contacted on njnya2@gmail.com or +263 772 501 557.