CHIRAMBADARE FACT FILE

etting a chance to sign for Kaizer Chiefs is an opportunity many players coming from Zimbabwe never hesitate taking and it goes without saying that Edmore Chirambadare was no exception. Although not much was known about the left footer, those who had seen him in action raved about his exploits with the ball at feet and there was excitement

Beaver Nazo: Eddy, congratulations on your move to newly promoted National First Division side Maccabi FC.

Edmore Chirambadare: Thank you, my brother. These past few weeks haven’t been easy on me, but before we talk about Maccabi, I want to thank God for providing me with the opportunity to be able to play football and to play for the biggest team in Africa in Kaizer Chiefs. I wanted to give them the best that I could and it was so unfortunate that they had to terminate my contract two years after I signed for the team. Having said that, I would like to thank the Kaizer Chiefs family for treating me well and doing their best to keep me happy at the team, especially the big boss, Mr Kaizer Motaung, and Bobby Motaung. This is a new start for me and I am happy to be here.

BN: You were training with Maritzburg United prior to signing for the club though…

EC: Yes, I trained with them for about two weeks, but they told me that they could not sign me because they wanted a striker… their midfield (department) was sorted. Another problem is that they had already exhausted their foreign quota. I did my best and I thank everyone for allowing me to train with the team.

BN: But they signed your ex-Chiefs teammate Keagan Buchanan, who is a midfielder.

EC: Remember they have always wanted Buchanan, even when we were still at Chiefs. He left Chiefs and it was a perfect opportunity for them to sign him. I don’t think they

needed me, but they were kind enough to accommodate me and allow me to train with them.

BN: Maccabi are currently sitting in 10th position on the league table after seven games, with nine points. What do you make of that progress?

EC: Yeah, man, we are not under any pressure because we know where we want to be. We will get there, but there’s really no pressure. We just want to be there for this season, but if the chance to win promotion presents itself, we will take it.

BN: You’ve only played three games though…

EC: No, the problem was my work permit. I was waiting for it, but it has arrived now and I am ready to go. That is why I have started playing now.

BN: Let’s now talk about the journey that you underwent at Amakhosi. You arrived at the club from Chicken Inn in Zimbabwe, amid very high expectations.

EC: I played for Chicken Inn for a season-and-a-half and I played my best football there in 2015 – I was scoring goals and winning awards. I won the ZIFA Southern Region Golden Boot award with 11 goals, as well as the Zimbabwean Premier League Footballer of the Month accolades for March, April and May. I think that is why Chiefs signed me right after that…

BN: But things didn’t go well for you at the Soweto giants, which would lead to some questioning the competitive- Date of birth: 24 January 1992 Place of birth: Gweru, Zimbabwe Nickname: Spanner

ness of the Zimbabwean Premier League.

EC: Look, people always talk. But you saw how well Chicken Inn did against Mamelodi Sundowns in the CAF Champions League. Look at how many Zimbabwean players play regularly in the Absa Premiership and not just adding numbers, like Willard Katsande at Chiefs and many others. Almost every team in the league has a Zimbabwean player and some have more than one player. That shows you the level of football in Zimbabwe. As for not living up to expectations at Chiefs, I think that is debatable. For instance, I only played four games for Chiefs in the 2017/18 season. In all those four games, I only came on Position: Midfielder/ Winger Jersey number: 11 Club: Maccabi FC giants, he has linked up with Maccabi FC in the National First Division, looking to revive his fortunes in the game. In this interview with Soccer Laduma’s Beaver Nazo, he is at pains to explain where exactly it went wrong for him… as a substitute. BN: It’s a fair argument to make. EC: It’s only the coach who can give you an answer (on

Bristol City, BOC, Zim-Alloys, Gweru Pirates FC, Silo United FC (all Zimbabwean Second Division), Tsholotsho why I was not playing), not me, because, like you, I don’t know. But remember at Chicken Inn I was playing as a number 10, behind Michelle Katsvairo, and at Chiefs I was played as a left winger. Maybe it’s because I played on the wing when Chiefs saw me playing against Sundowns in the CAF Champions League. When we first got to training at Naturena, coach Steve (Komphela) asked all of us what our best positions were and I told him that mine was playing behind the striker. But he decided that I was more suitable on the wing and I didn’t have a problem with that. It was not a new position for me, as I had played in both positions before. BN: That sounds like Steve was the man who signed you. How was your relationship with him? EC: It was a very good relationship and he was like a father to all of us. That man has very good man-management skills. I think every decision he took was for the benefit of the team. I also liked the way he spoke. He is a good human being and a very smart coach.

BN: He’s currently doing very well at Bloemfontein Celtic…

EC: I didn’t play much under him in my second season, but I don’t know why. As a player, where I come from, you don’t question the coach at all. I FC, Chicken Inn (both Zimbabwean Premier League), Kaizer Chiefs