Nowthatyou’re telling me…

Masebe Qina: Sniper, it would seem like a case of Christmas coming early for you this year after people termed your goal against K aizer Chiefs before the FIFA international break “a gift”.

K now Mutizwa: All I can say is that as a player,I was happy to score and help our team to collect maximum points against Kaizer Chiefs. As you know,Chiefs is a big club and for us to go to them (at FNB Stadium) and come back with three points was huge and everyone in our team was happy.

MQ: You seemed to have been well prepared, as the goal came inside the opening five minutes…

K M:

The technical team studied Chiefs very well prior to the match and they told us that as we all know that they are a big team,we shouldn’t panic against them. The coaches encouraged us to play our normal game and to enjoy ourselves. We managed to score that early goal and we created numerous chances throughout the match. You should have seen that we were enjoying ourselves and we never treated them like a big team on the field because that’s what the coaches told us.

MQ: Did you anticipate that Erick Mathoho’s back pass would end up in no-man’s land as you kept on chasing until you intercepted it?

K M:

Look,you know sometimes such things happen on the field and,as you’ve probably been following us closely as Golden Arrows, you’d know that we are a team that likes to press and our game model is based on possession play. I think God was on our side that day and especially in that specific moment that led to the goal. We were chasing as per how we normally play and we were fortunate when Mathoho made the mistake and we duly benefited from it as I managed to score. But I think it was through following the coach’s instructions that we managed to play the way we did and won the match. The coach told us that as much as the plan was to press them,we still needed to be careful when we lost the ball and had to be quick in our reaction to try and get it back.

MQ: Sure. K M:

Honestly, I didn’t expect Mathoho to make a mistake there and we were just pressing as a team like how we normally do. When he made the mistake,I quickly noticed that the goalkeeper (Bruce Bvuma) was out of position and I decided to chip the ball over his head,and it was a goal. The thing is that we always practice those kinds of drills in training when we do finishing drills with coach Mabhudi Khenyeza and that’s why when I saw the goalkeeper out of his line,I didn’t think twice about going for the lob. Funnily enough,three days before the match, I scored a similar kind of a goal at training and when I scored like that again against Chiefs,coach Khenyeza was pleased and alluded to it at halftime that it’s pleasing to see us taking the things we do at training to matches.

MQ: During his time as Arrows head coach, coach Steve K omphela used to challenge you to score more from the chances that the team was creating. Do you feel that you’ve since improved on your scoring ability?

K M: I think I have,even though I also believe that I didn’t score as many goals as I should have when coach Komphela was still here. But I think there has been improvement as I’m now matured and more familiar with the PSL than before. There are goals that I score these days

which I know that

Kn ow M utizw a ’s p re da tory instinctsm akeplaying againstGolden Arrow s a n a rduous ta sk, m ore so for defenders. Just askErickMathohoand Bruce Bvum a,after th e form er’sbackpassfailed thereachthelatter,and before anyone knew it, theballwasintheback of th e net,courtesy of th e educated footof theZim babwean.No surprisesthen thathe’s surp assed clublegend Mabh udiKh enyeza’slongstandingrecordofthehighest num berofgoalsscoredbyan AbafanaBes’thendeplayerin th e team ’sh istory. Soccer Ladum a’s MasebeQinacaughtupwiththeman affectionatelyknownas“Sniper”to talk about,am ongoth er issues,h is eye-catchingperform ances,therecent m ora le -boostin g victory a ga in st K a ize r Chiefs,whyhedidn’tgetachanceto playunderGavinHunt,aswellasthe tragic passingofCharlesYohane in Joh annesburg. maybe I’d have missed if it was two or three seasons ago because I lacked maturity at the time. If you can check now,I’m much calmer and more composed these days and that’s why my finishing has improved.

MQ: You’re currently on 49 goals and have already surpassed K henyeza’s long-standing record of the highest number of goals scored by an Arrows player (39).

K M: As a striker,your job is to score goals and I’m happy that I’m now the club’s leading goalscorer. Having said that,I wouldn’t be Arrows’ alltime leading goalscorer without the assistance of my teammates because they’ve been very supportive. Also,I wouldn’t have done it without the help of the coaches that I’ve worked with throughout my stay with the club,including coach Mabhudi,who has been very helpful. I’m very happy with everything so far.

MQ: Arrows seem to be one big happy family. How’s the mood in camp?

K M:

When I joined the club a few seasons ago,they were a group that had been together for a long time, with some of the players having come through the development together. So,with some of the guys here,we’ve been together for some time and,like you say,my brother, we are happy and we know each other’s strengths and weaknesses.

MQ: The results haven’t been that great compared to last season. How are you guys planning to finish in a respectable position on the log?

K M:

Last season,we had a fantastic season and we were all happy about it,but a lot of things happened since then as some of the players left and we had some new players and all those things. It is something that we talk about among ourselves that we need to push to help the team to a better position on the log. This season, things haven’t been going our way the way we’d have wanted,but as you know,football is like that. We are working hard and trying to get good results in the remaining matches of the season so that we can finish in the Top Eight. Listen, we can even finish in the top five if you look at the log because some of the teams above us are not too far in terms of the points and we’re doing everything to push each other to finish in the Top Eight.

MQ: Individually, though, you’ve been consistent since joining the club in 2017.

K M:

What is keeping me motivated is that Arrows gave me a chance (as an unknown player) from Zimbabwe. Yes,I came to the club via Bidvest (Wits),but I didn’t get a chance to play at the club. From day one, I was welcomed very nicely at Arrows,everyone has been friendly and I got a chance to play. So,every time I get to play for Arrows,I put myself under pressure to do well for the team and I always aim to score because these people have been nothing but good to me and my family since day one. If it wasn’t for them,maybe I wouldn’t be where I am today and that’s why I feel I have an obligation to repay them.

MQ: You are closing in on 150 matches played for Arrows and nearing another club record, most appearances by any player, held by Thanduyise K huboni (212). At the rate you’re going, it wouldn’t come as a surprise if you go on to surpass that.

K M: I’ve been fortunate that I’ve been injury-free and playing regularly because I’ve been working hard. You know that if you work hard as a player,it is unlikely that a coach will ignore you and I’ve been fortunate that Arrows have been there for me and I’ve also been there for the club. I didn’t know about the number of games,but now that you are telling me,I wish I could go on and reach where the legendary Khuboni reached and possibly go beyond.

MQ: So, what are your plans and what’s your contract situation like?

K M: (Thinks for a moment) Eish, but you know,brother,that it is not a good thing to talk about contract situations and things like that when one is still contracted to a club. But let me just give you a simple answer so that everyone will be happy that I answered the question. I am still contracted to Golden Arrows and I’m happy to be playing for the club.

MQ: Why didn’t you play at Wits? K M: When I joined Wits and coming from Zimbabwe,I was still young and,yho,there we big players at the club at the time. That was the season the club won the MTN8 and went on to win the league and the team had a lot of experienced players. At the time,Wits had players like (Cuthbert) Malajila,(Mogakolodi) Ngele, Gabadinho Mhango,and Vincent Pule was also there,just to mention a few. Gavin Hunt is a great coach and he gives everyone a chance to play in his team. He welcomed me nicely in the team and he was always encouraging me to keep on working hard and promised me that my time would come. He was telling that he could see the potential in me and had no doubts that I was a good player. His words motivated me because if you hear those kinds of words coming from the coach,your confidence goes up.

“Honestly, I didn’t expect Mathoho to make a mistake there.”

“I’d like to send a special message to the football supporters…”

MQ: On a sombre note, how did you feel about Charles Yohane’s tragic passing at the hands of heartless criminals in Johannesburg recently?

K M: Yho,it was sad and when I heard about it for the first time,it was in team Warriors’ (Zimbabwe national team,WhatsApp) group and it was the manager who broke the news. He said,“Guys who are based in South Africa,be careful there. See what happened to our legend.” It was so painful and everyone was so devastated. I hope that his family is coping and that they are okay now. (Sighs heavily) I’d also like to send a message to our people ukuthi (that) crime doesn’t pay and instead,with any involvement in criminal activities,one will end up in jail. By killing someone, you should know that there are kids out there who’ll be growing up without a father and that can’t be a good thing at all,and it should stop. Lastly,and with your permission,my brother, I’d like to send a special message to the football supporters now that they will be coming back to the stadiums, as permitted by the government and the League,that they should come to matches in their numbers to support their teams because we have missed them so much. For us players,their presence will serve as extra motivation to perform better and we can’t wait to have them back in the stands and cheering for us.