Chinani’s bitter-sweet tale
JUST like his first name, Dynamos goalkeeper Simba Chinani has had to summon all his mental strength to overcome some misfortunes that have befallen him since childhood. His life has been a mixed bag. The 24-year- old goalkeeper, who lost his father when he was just a year old, has risen to become the first choice for the Warriors who have qualified for the 2020 African Nations Championship finals in Cameroon.
Yet he continues to attract mixed appreciation from the local football fraternity.
Some argue that the Chegutu-bred keeper is not as good as they are made to believe, while some have endorsed Chinani as Dynamos’ best find since Tatenda Mkuruva, who featured for the Warriors at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Gabon.
“I am aware of the criticism. As a keeper you are the last man and when you make a mistake it’s usually costly so football fans don’t normally forgive you,” Chinani said.
As Dynamos brace for today’s Battle of Zimbabwe Premiership showdown at Rufaro, Chinani is aware that he was the fall guy when DeMbare lost 0-1 to bitter rivals Highlanders at Barbourfields in the reverse fixture on June 16.
That defeat has remained DeMbare’s only league loss since then.
Chinani fumbled a 71st minute free-kick by Bosso midfielder Brian Banda before Cleopas Kapupurika ghosted from the blind side to slot the ball home.
Given the magnitude of this fixture, some Dynamos fans have not forgiven Chinani for that moment of madness.
“It takes a strong heart to overcome such occasions. Dynamos fans are so demanding and they are justified because they know their team is the biggest in the country, so I will respect them for their feelings.
“But I don’t blame myself for that blunder, it’s part of the game. What’s important is how you learn from your mistakes. That incident actually made me stronger,” revealed Chinani.
“As players, we are geared for this new task against Highlanders. We just want a good result that keeps us amongst the top teams. We want to finish the season in a respectable position.”
With 11 clean sheets so far, Chinani is one of the standout keepers in the 2019 season.
He is even attracting interest from Europe, where he has been invited for trials with an unnamed top Russian club next January.
Yet only two years ago, he temporarily quit professional football and opted to join a boozers’ club, after a frustrating stint at Yadah Stars.
“For the better part of my life, I have been soldiering on in the face of adversities.
Only two years ago I lost faith and quit professional football after a frustrating stay at Yadah, where I made it into the match day squad on three occasions only.
“I decided to play social soccer and ended up at a team called Panjap Motors.”
Misfortune seems to have stalked Chinani from childhood.
When Chinani lost his father in 1996, his mother, Matilda Charehwa, was forced to sell the family house in Harare after a chaotic estate dispute. They relocated to Chegutu. Football brought a grown-up Chinani back to the capital in 2016.
He was snapped up by Yadah Stars after impressing owner Walter Magaya in a Division One match between Chegutu Pirates and Mushowani Stars at the Yadah Complex.
As fate would have it, Chinani temporarily quit professional football in 2017, opting to join a boozers club after the frustrating Yadah Stars stint.
However, when it seemed all hope had been lost, another opportunity arose for Chinani – this time during a social soccer tournament that was attended by former Dynamos goalkeepers’ coach Zondai Nyaungwa.
Nyaungwa took Chinani to DeMbare, but the agile keeper had to wait until June 10, 2018 for his Premiership debut.
“My first instinct was to take this boy’s contact details after I saw him in action at some social soccer tournament in Harare sometime in November 2017.
“You could see he had the potential.
I invited him to DeMbare for the January 2018 trials. That’s how he joined Dynamos,” Nyaungwa told The Sunday Mail Sport.
Chinani kept a clean sheet as Dynamos, who were then under the guidance of Lloyd Chigowe, beat Mutare City 1-0 at Vengere in Rusape.
“I still recall that afternoon in Rusape in the same way I remember my recent man of the match performance in Lesotho when the Warriors qualified for the 2020 CHAN finals.
“It is good that Zimbabwe will be at the CHAN finals in Cameroon. Who knows, it could be an opportunity for some of us to climb up the ladder,” Chinani said.