Antipas shuts door on Mahachi
CHICKEN Inn head coach Joey Antipas says they are not keen to reunite with their former midfielder Kudakwashe “Nkembe” Mahachi.
The left-footed former Warriors player recently left Ghanaian top-flight league side, Medeama after only five months into his one-year contract.
In that regard, Gamecocks, who have been busy on the market in their quest to have a competitive side, were expected to provide a soft landing for their former star.
“It’s very unfortunate that Mahachi only lasted five months at his Ghanaian club. The truth is we don’t know the reason why he was let go. We also don’t know about his fitness levels. More so, we have been busy making some recruitments. So, we are now a full house at Chicken Inn. We don’t have any space to accommodate him,” said Antipas who is a longtime admirer of Mahachi’s attacking play.
To bolster their midfield department, the Gamecocks reunited with former club captain Danny “Deco” Phiri and Innocent Mucheneka.
They also managed to lure Thulani Joseph and pint-sized Elshaamar Farasi from CAPS United and Bulawayo City respectively.
This was after they lost Richard Hachiro to Ngezi Platinum Stars and Lawrence Mhlanga to former champions FC Platinum.
Mahachi joined Medeama in August last year and the club was reportedly not satisfied with his fitness, although they gave him time, they decided to close the door on him in the last few weeks.
Mahachi was discarded by South Africa’s topflight league side SuperSport United following a domestic dispute that saw him being sidelined for over a year.
In the Super Diski League, Nkembe also turned out for Mamelodi Sundowns, Golden Arrows, and Orlando Pirates.
He boasts 153 appearances, 20 goals under his belt and 19 assists to his name at the various clubs that he played for in South Africa.
In the local elite football league, the pacey midfielder also played for Highlanders and the now-defunct Bantu Rovers.
It was at Bantu Rovers, an outfit that was fondly known as Tshintsha Guluva, that he played alongside Warriors captain Marvelous Nakamba, towering defender Teenage “Manero” Hadebe, Botswana based Nqobizitha Masuku, Ray ‘Ndori Ndori’ Lunga and Danny “Deco” Phiri among other talented players.