Benza’s unfinished business
“I’M not yet ready to quit, I’m still going on.” These were the bold words by Innocent Benza, the Castle Lager Premier League’s oldest player and one of the oldest in modern day professional soccer at the age of 47.
The age defying striker and owner of Herentals vehemently told Sunday Life that he will have another dance in the country’s elite league after “masterminding” his side’s great escape from relegation at Luveve Stadium at the close of the season.
The Students, as Herentals are affectionately known, survived relegation on the last match after claiming the scalp of giant killers, Bulawayo Chiefs through a solitary goal by Kelvin Bingala to finish the season on position 11 on the 18-team log.
Although Benza played more of a “cameo role” in the field of play as he was substituted just after his team had scored since he struggled to find his way or to employ his trickery through the opposition’s defence, it was his timely decision to pull out that might have worked wonders for the team.
The Students’ coach, Kumbirai Mutiwekuziva realised there was a need to fortify his defence and hit the opposition on the counter hence his decision to pull out Benza and replace him with defensive midfielder Prince Chama.
Benza might still have the zeal and spirit to play on but it is evident his legs are tiring and his lack of pace has been his main downfall.
He, however, compensates for his deficit with speed, good passing ability and being a dead ball specialist.
After being substituted Benza took up the role of a coach and could be heard barking instructions to his “teammates” on the touchline, side by side with Mutiwekuziva and telling them to hold onto their lead.
Benza is Zimbabwe’s own version of South African’s Jomo Sono.
Born Ephraim Matsilela Sono in 1955, affectionately known as Jomo and sometimes also called the “Black Prince of South African Soccer” and “Bra J” “Mjomana”, is a South African former profe s s i onal footballer football club owner, coach and it is said he sometimes drives the team bus.
Benza contends that the zeal and spirit to play on was failure by his team to achieve their set target in the just ended season.
“We didn’t meet our targets this year, so we have a task in 2020 and I should be there to assist my youngsters. We had targeted an improvement from last year’s position. Last year we were in the top six, this year we were expecting to do slightly better than that but we were fighting relegation up to the last day. So, in 2020 we need to go back to top six,” he said.
Next season, Benza will be turning 48 and will be only three years shy of the world’s oldest ever competitive footballer, Kazuyoshi Miura of Yokohama Football Club in Japan who is 50. Miura might break this record again next year as he has signed a one-year extension on his contract.
Benza has not been lethal in front of goal having only scored two goals since the team was promoted into the PSL with a goal apiece in each season. However, to his credit he has been in with some assists.
The age defying player got his maiden goal in the elite league at Rufaro Stadium in Harare last year when he got an equaliser against Chapungu in a match which ended one all.
Reports said Benza neatly controlled a Brighton Majarira cross before firing home with just two minutes remaining.
Benza’s other goal, which turned out to be crucial came in match week 32 in the just ended season against Hwange at the Colliery Stadium in a match the Students won 3-2 to keep their hopes of survival alive.
The Students grabbed three goals in a pulsating first-half with Benza weighing in with the third one five minutes from the breather, which all but made Chipangano’s efforts to get a point or win the match an insurmountable task. Benza believes his team gave a good account of itself despite surviving the chop on the last day.
“We managed 17 draws, we had one of the least defeats (compared to the other teams) this year. Unfortunately, the league was too competitive, it was highly competitive. It’s very rare for seven teams to fight relegation up to the last day. The championship race was also a tight fight up to the last day. So, it was just a tight competition otherwise we did very well,” he said.
Benza attributed the team’s spirited dog fight to the end of the season to team work.
“I’m proud of everyone, look at the goals scored and look at the goals conceded. If you look at the table in terms of the goals scored, conceded, number of wins, number of losses, you find that we competed well with other teams in the mid-table, with an extra win or two we could easily have ended in position five or six,” he said.
Benza believes his side is strong enough to compete for honours next season but did not rule out beefing it up.
“As a player I feel that we have enough arsenal, maybe the coaches may want to beef up but as a player I don’t think it’s necessary but as the president of the club, if the coaches want additional players, I will open up the cheque book,” he said.