Zim players miss out on transfers

EXACTLY 16 years ago, former Zimbabwe national football team captain Benjani Mwaruwari made a sensational deadline-day move from Portsmouth to Manchester City, in a deal that was worth £3,87 million.

After City had failed to clinch the signing of Mwaruwari on January 31, 2008, the English Premier League approved a late transfer deal on February 5.

The Zimbabwean was to complete one of the most talked-about transfers of that mid-season window.

“I am delighted that we have signed such a quality player, and I am looking forward to working with him straight away,”then-Man City manager Sven-Goran Eriksson told The Mirror (UK). That deal is still remembered at Manchester City, and the reigning English and European champions posted this message on X last week: “#OnThisDay in 2008, we signed Benjani!”

Mwaruwari’s deadline move remains one of the most dramatic transfers in the history of the Premier League’s January transfer window.

Although there is usually little movement during the mid-season window in many leagues around the world, especially those that use the August-May calendar, some Zimbabwean players have made big moves during this period over the years.

Marvelous Nakamba found an escape route via this window in January 2023.

After a largely forgettable spell at Aston Villa, Nakamba was loaned to Luton Town, who were fighting for Premiership promotion.

When The Hatters achieved their goal in May, albeit via the Championship playoffs,

“IN the just-ended window, there was no player from the domestic Premiership who secured a move to South Africa ... “Similarly, in July last year, no local player was good enough to earn a move to the Super Diski. “In fact, the last three Castle Lager Soccer Star of the Year winners — Joel Ngodzo (2019), Walter Musona (2022) and Qadr Amini (2023) — all failed to attract interest from foreign teams.”

Nakamba sealed a permanent move to Kenilworth Road in July 2023.

In January 2020, Zimbabwean striker Tino Kadewere joined French top-flight side Lyon from Ligue 2 side Le Havre in a reported 15 million euro move, which made him Zimbabwe’s most expensive footballer in history at that time.

Coincidentally, Kadewere also made another move this January, when he joined Nantes on loan from Lyon on January 3, while Munashe Garananga shifted base from FC Sheriff if Moldova to Belgian outfit KV Mechelen.

While January was usually a hive of activity for local-based players who mostly moved to the South African top-flight, there has been a worrying downward trend in the last five years.

In the just-ended window, there was no player from the domestic Premiership who secured a move to South Africa.

Similarly, in July last year, no local player was good enough to earn a move to the Super Diski.

In fact, the last three Castle Lager Soccer Star of the Year winners — Joel Ngodzo (2019), Walter Musona (2022) and Qadr Amini (2023) — all failed to attract interest from foreign teams.

From a high of 28 players in the 2018/2019 South African Premiership, Zimbabwe now has seven players in that league.

Douglas Mapfumo (Polokwane City), Devine Lunga (Mamelodi Sundowns), Knox Mutizwa (Golden Arrows) and the SuperSport United quartet of Washington Arubi, Onismor Bhasera, Ronald Pfumbidzai and Terrence Dzvukamanja are the only Zimbabwean footballers on the Super Diski books.

Former Zimbabwe and Mamelodi Sundowns talisman Khama Billiat is also struggling to secure a new club following his move away from Kaizer Chiefs.

Football agent Gibson Mahachi admitted that, although the January window is less active, the country’s football development system is now producing few top-class players.

“We need proper development structures that can produce the desirable product,” said Mahachi.

“If our football association focuses more on development and provides financial support to existing academies, we will produce more players for the world market.”

While saluting the work done by academies, Mahachi also questioned the commitment levels of some of the current crop of players.

“It will be difficult to produce players of the calibre of Peter Ndlovu, Norman Mapeza, Moses Chunga and Benjani Mwaruwari, just to mention a few.