Forced to retire: ZiKeeper reveals ordeal
FORMER Premier Soccer League (PSL) goalkeeper Edmore Sibanda ( pictured) has opened up on his Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila [ TTM] ordeal, which forced him to retire.
The former Zimbabwean international goalkeeper was forced out of the game in 2022 after suffering a serious injury during a Motsepe Foundation Championship match.
He was hit in the face under a reckless challenge by a Pretoria Callies player, in turn breaking his jaws.
The former Caps United shotstopper also had his vision compromised while also suffering a fracture in his skull. Sibanda’s injury was so bad that he was forced to hang his gloves at the age of 35.
But what hit him hard was how the club, Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila, struggled to help him meet his medical bills.
“The injury was bad and it was at a time when the club was facing serious financial challenges. Salaries were not coming,” Sibanda told FARPost.
“I had a broken skull, a broken jaw and my sight was also badly affected. And I really needed specialist doctors to attend to me.
“The club, TTM, could not help me, but my friends came to chip in. Specialists are expensive. It’s the injury that pushed me to stop playing football. I still wanted to play football.
“That game against Pretoria Callies was the last match I played, and I was saddened because it’s all I wanted to do,” Sibanda said. He revealed how former Mamelodi Sundowns star Nyasha Mushekwi came to his rescue during the ordeal.
“It was tough, but thanks to my friends like Nyasha Mushekwi, who chipped in to help me when I was struggling.
“So that is how I managed to meet every bill, although I understand how the club was also struggling financially,” he added.
After being forced to retire, he took TTM to Fifa over a breach of contract, as they owed him about R600 000. And Fifa imposed a transfer ban on them until they pay Sibanda. The ban was lifted in January 2023 when they completed the payment.
Sibanda has since started his transition into coaching in Zimbabwe. He is now the goalkeeper’s coach at St Paul’s Musami in Zimbabwe’s Northern Region Division One.