Coaches I’ve worked with: I always found his attitude so fascinating

“Wada-Wada!” What a gentleman Wedson Nyirenda is! I always smile whenever I think of this former teammate and colleague of mine. Guys, you have no idea of what a humble and a gentle giant is if you’ve never experienced being in this man’s company. Gone are those days,where we saw a lot of players with big match temperament coming into our shores! Players with big hearts, who are able to soak the pressure of playing for a big team and always looking forward to doing service for their people. When Wada-Wada joined us, it felt like he had been with the team for years,in his very first couple of weeks. With a squeaky voice, he would say, “Doc, we can’t lose this game. Please man!

Just keep those passes coming, Dick (Amukola) and I will score the goals for the team.” I’m telling you,this guy had not been with us for long before he made his impact felt. He surprised a lot of people, us as his teammates included, in the way he quickly settled and adapted to life at Chiefs. That’s the kind of foreign players we used to attract and the impact they went on to have in the team. I wouldn’t be talking about Wedson today if he didn’t deliver at Chiefs. This man planned the downfall of a lot of teams on our way to the camp, not on match day. Sometimes we would talk about the next three or four games, planning on how to break the opposition down and all that. This just goes to show how detailed this man was about his football. He would even predict the number of goals he would score and sometimes he would get it right. I used to get so excited whenever he came to discuss opposition because he inspired me so much. He just knew how to get the best out of his teammates. Such a humble and quiet gentleman who always lets his work do the talking. He doesn’t drink alcohol or smoke cigarettes. You talk about the opponents, you make that man crazy because you make him look forward to the game already. When he sees a packed stadium after the warm-up, he would tell you,“Man,we can’t lose this game. Look at all these people coming to watch us! We can’t let them down, please gents.” I would be so surprised by the things he would say and how he grew to love Chiefs and everyone associated with the club,in such a short space of time. I would ask him where he got this enthusiasm and passion from,having only been with the club for a few months? He once told me: “When you are at the right club, at the right time, with the right people around you,very little can go wrong. I’m enjoying my stay here and I want to give my all to this club,all the time.” He would single out the teammates,the technical team,the Chairman and his staff, everyone at the club, the supporters and say there is no way he can let them down. He would also remind us that he’s a foreigner,therefore he must be better than what we already have otherwise there is no reason for the club to bring him here. I always found his attitude so fascinating. He told me he couldn’t believe he was sharing a dressing room with me and that he thought I was going to give them a tough time,since I was a big-name player and that they were new to my country. I told him I’m not like that and would neverdo that to anyone. Him,Dick Amukola and Mike Maringa were my friends in the team. I embraced those boys because the only thing different about us was our national anthems,other than that we were brothers. Wedson made me see life differently because of the way he conducted himself.