Zimbabwe
You are currently browsing the articles from TOP FootBall Player matching the category Zimbabwe.
We haven’t blogged about the biggest continental competition in Africa, the African Champions League, for some time. Here’s an update …
Cameroonian side Coton Sport became the first Champions League finalists from Cameroon in 28 years after destroying minnows Dynamos of Zimbabwe 4-0 on Saturday in Garoua.
The home side advanced on a 5-0 aggregate thanks to their 1-0 win in the first leg of the semi-final clash in Harare two weeks ago.
Coton Sport had a great start with Sebastien Koua scoring just one minute after the kick-off to double the aggregate advantage. The goal lifted Coton’s hopes of emulating compatriots Oryx Douala, Union Douala and Canon and conquering Africa.
Dynamos recovered to have the edge territorially in the first half but the ‘Harare Glamour Boys’ could not score.
When Jacques Zoua added a second Cotons goal seven minutes after half-time the 1998 runners-up realized their great run was coming to an abrupt end.
Any doubt about the outcome was dispelled on 65 minutes when Niger national team striker Daouda Kamilou scored his seventh Champions League goal this season, a feat bettered only by teenage Enyimba striker Stephen Worgu.
Baba Ousmaila claimed his fifth goal of the competition 14 minutes from full-time as Dynamos wilted under constant pressure, with goalkeeper Willard Manyatera saving the Zimbabweans from a heavier loss.
The first leg of the final will be staged in Cairo or the south-eastern Nigerian city of Aba over the weekend of October 31-November 2 with the return fixture in Garoua two weeks later.
The other semifinal pits Egypt’s Al Ahly and Nigeria’s Enyimba.
The game is evenly poised at 0-0 following the first leg in Nigeria two weeks ago.
Apart from a one-million-dollar first prize, the African champions qualify for the FIFA Club World Cup during December in Japan, where Manchester United will be among the contenders.
Written by Darkvader on October 18th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on African Champions League and Cameroon and Zimbabwe.
Henrietta Rushwaya is an anomaly. She is the CEO of the Zimbabwe Football Association. Pretty cool, huh? She is also a cougar of the highest level. So much so that she has been cited as the main reason that Zimbabwe did not make it out of the first round of African qualifying. It seems that she tired out certain stars before they even took the pitch.
Rushwaya, it is reported, forced coach Jose Claudinei Valinhos to release a few players from camp after curfew so that they could pleasure each other. One of those players should be familiar to most UF readers. It seems that Ms. Rushwaya has a special place in her heart (at the very least) for Manchester City striker Benjani. From the article:
Rushwaya and the player have left the senior team in a state of shock. When he comes home especially on a siesta from his overseas club, he camps at Rushwaya’s residence where they live literary like husband and wife…
Nice.
Diving a little bit deeper into the article, one can find this gem as well:
Rushwaya herself is known for being generous with her body and numerous scribes have had a go. She is a very kind boss whose generosity has won her friends especially in the media as most of her scandals are deliberately swept under the carpet
according to an anonymous source. Nice reporting standards there, Zimbabwe media.
Finally, there is one more piece of information that just cannot be ignored. It seems that Rushwaya trysts take place in one of Harare’s swankiest hotels, a Holiday Inn. Now, I’m no tastemaker when it comes to which hotels to use for sex, but I’ve always been more of a Red Roof Inn man myself. Perhaps Ms. Rushwaya is just reaching a little too high in expecting the front desk manager at a Holiday Inn to keep her secrets for her.
Written by Darkvader on October 16th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Benjani Mwaruwari and UF After Dark and Zimbabwe and sex scandal and ü75.
They are all found in this post. Seriously. Sometimes in my research I come across some truly awe-inspiring articles. This is one of those times. So much good stuff…so little time. Ostensibly, this article is about Manchester City striker Benjani Mwaruwari and his off-field women issues, but it continues on to a broader perspective.
Let’s just start at the beginning, in Zimbabwe…
Apparently, the Undertaker, as Benjie is affectionately known and has huge following probably because of his money, arrived at the night club late on Saturday in the company of a group of girls and his brother.
Benjie and his crew were seated at the VIP section, an eyewitness said, when an argument arose between the two unidentified ladies.
“Benjani came to (name of the nightclub) with a group of ladies and they went to the VIP bar section. No one knows the reason these ladies fought. We only saw Benjani and his brother (name supplied) dashing out of the VIP bar section leaving the two ladies to finish what they had started. However, the two followed him and they exchanged blows in front of him,” said an eyewitness.
Great. I did not know Benjani was the Undertaker. He might to watch out for Vince McMahon, who could sue him for infringment.
Women fighting over a footballer…nothing new but definitely fun.
Footballers fighting over a woman? Even better.
Remember that Benjani is the same player who once fought former Warriors skipper, Peter Ndlovu, over a woman.
Better. Also of note, Benjani has also taken Ndlovu’s armband as captain of the Zimbabwe national team. This is getting better.
Ironically, the man who replaced Benjani at Portsmouth Jermaine Defoe was recently said to have ‘… probably slept with the majority of the female patrons in any given London nightclub.’
Bliss. A nice dig at Defoe. Now back to the Ndlovu.
Ndlovu, arguably the best player ever to emerge from this nation, has had a fair share of such headlines.The Flying Elephant, as he is affectionately known, is “blessed” with countless children.
Well, I’m not sure if blessed is the word I would use, especially if it’s associate with countless.
The article goes on detailing other Zimbabwean footballer women foibles.
There is one case of a promising Highlanders player who was beaten up over a girl recently. Another Highlanders’ duo went as far as literally fighting over a prostitute at a Harare hotel.
Plus, there is an added bonus of Beckham, Ronaldo, and Abramovich bon mots towards the end.
I suggest you read it yourself.
Written by Darkvader on July 14th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Benjani Mwaruwari and The Fan's Attic and Zimbabwe and women trouble.
Leave it to FIFA to wait for the most opportune time to condemn a despot.
Today, South Africa 2010’s organizing committee finally came out and said the 2010 tournament and the continent need peace in Zimbabwe. You think?
FIFA general-secretary Jerome Valcke and Danny Jordaan, the chief executive officer of the South African organizing committee discussed the economic and political crises in neighboring Zimbabwe.
South Africa is the main regional power and has been accused of doing too little to push for reform in Zimbabwe. Some activists have even threatened a campaign similar to the pressure Olympic host China has faced over Tibet.
MY POV: Read this great editorial from the New York Times for more about this movement.
Jordaan, though, said Zimbabwean President Robert Mugabe, accused of killing political opponents and ruining a once vibrant economy, was resisting South African President Thabo Mbeki’s “quiet diplomacy” as well as more vocal international criticism.
“It’s clear that Mugabe has ignored everyone, including Mbeki,” Jordaan said. “Why must South Africa be singled out when he ignores the whole world?” MY POV: Because you’re the regional power and your influence could stifle Mugabe’s dictatorial ways.
He said he hoped for a diplomatic breakthrough soon.
“Before we come to 2010, we must have a stable Zimbabwe,” Jordaan said. “It’s in all our interests.” MY POV: Sorry for being cynical, but it sounds like once their bank accounts are involved, they finally care about the Zimbabwe situation. SA officials know that if the situation in Zimbabwe continues to persist, their World Cup could be affected. So now they care …
Tournament organizers have already felt the impact of Zimbabwe’s turmoil, he said. South Africa needs all the hotel rooms it can get, and Jordaan envisions some soccer fans spending their nights in neighboring Swaziland and Mozambique. High-end hotels in Zimbabwe’s Victoria Falls area would also be ideal, but Jordaan said they aren’t on the list because of Zimbabwe’s predicament.
Valcke was asked whether FIFA was using its influence to encourage Mbeki on the Zimbabwe question.
“The World Cup is a huge leverage, but there are limits,” Valcke said. “The World Cup doesn’t give you the power to push President Mbeki to say anything other than what he wants to say …. We can just say that we are concerned … and we have to find a solution.”
MY POV: I don’t think this is the last we’ll hear of this situation. Football is the people’s game and something is bound to boil over should this Mugabe situation persist. The Zimbabwean people, the South African people and anyone that cares about the situation there will make their voices heard loud and clear.
Written by Darkvader on July 9th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Danny Jordaan and FIFA and South Africa and Zimbabwe.
Since the time FIFA president Sepp Blatter announced that the 2010 World Cup would be staged in South Africa, people have wondered whether the Cup would actually be held in the African country.
Will South Africa be able to host the World Cup? Will people travel to a country riddled with crime problems for the biggest sporting event in the world? Will companies invest in the African nation?
2010 World Cup organizing committee chief Danny Jordaan has worked hard to squash negative assumptions, assuring everyone the World Cup in South Africa (SA) will be a huge success.
Still, Blatter has again stirred controversy by saying that SA could still lose the rights to host the 2010 World Cup in the event of a catastrophe. MY POV: What catastrophe?
However, Jordaan downplayed the concerns.
“I have spoken to Blatter and he reaffirmed that only God can prevent South Africa staging the World Cup in 2010,” Jordaan said. “Blatter has gone out of his way to bring the 2010 World Cup to South Africa. It makes no sense for him to say he has another plan. Obviously FIFA must have a plan if we suffered a major natural catastrophe, but that is all.”
Yet, Blatter keeps talking about a contingency. And there are problems.
According to the Zimbabwean, ‘a group of committed and professional Zimbabwean journalists and friends from around the world who have come together to start the first physical newspaper for Zimbabweans in exile’, there are growing fears that Zimbabwe’s economic and political crisis could impact negatively on the 2010 FIFA World Cup.
This is the warning of analysts who believe the problems in President Robert Mugabe’s country could spill into South Africa and the rest of the region, and thus make the region volatile ahead of the global football fiesta.
Zimbabwe Exiles Forum (ZEF) director Gabriel Shumba said the prevailing situation did not bode well for the hosting of a successful event.
“The possibility of a civil war is very high (in Zimbabwe), which can only mean that the Zimbabwe issue will in practice impact massively on the region as a threat to regional peace,” he said.
So where does the USA fit into all this?
According to boston.com, the USA could step in should South Africa be declared unable to host the Cup. (Yes, I’m having a little fun with the picture above … I am American, by the way.)
“I would be a very negligent president if I didn’t have a Plan B ready for the 2010 World Cup,” Blatter said in an interview in Vienna Sunday.
A decision on confirming South Africa as the first African country to play host to the World Cup will be made following the Confederations Cup, scheduled for June 14-28, 2009.
Eight countries will participate - Brazil (South American champion), Egypt (Africa), Iraq (Asia), Italy (World Cup), South Africa (host), Spain (Europe), the US (CONCACAF), and an Oceania representative.
Stadium construction delays and security fears have raised concerns that South Africa might not be capable of hosting the event.
“We will decide after the test of the Confederations Cup and only a catastrophe would put the alternative plan into effect,” Blatter said. “The World Cup is a logistical challenge and South Africa wants to shows the world it is able to do it.”
The US is among the few countries capable of hosting a World Cup on short notice.
MY POV: I understand Blatter’s need to make contingency plans for the Cup. But does he need to talk about it every month?
Does he really think this instills confidence in the people of South Africa?
Look, we all know the problems hosting a World Cup in South Africa present.
From SA crime to regional difficulties, everyone involved knew hosting a Cup in SA wouldn’t be easy.
But as Jordaan has said many times in rebuttal to Blatter’s comments, the money is streaming in, the stadiums are being built and the infrastructure is growing.
Why harp about the need for contingency in every public comment about the 2010 Cup? How come Blatter didn’t do this with Germany 2006 or Korea/Japan 2002? Why haven’t we heard criticism of Brazil 2014? Brazil’s soccer federation and soccer infrastructure is in shambles. Crime is just as rampant in the South American nation. Why no talk of a contingency there?
If FIFA wanted SA to prove their worth in 2009 with the Confederations Cup, I wish they had just named the USA the host of the 2010 Cup from the beginning.
I see SA having to pass a ‘quiz’ in 2009 as a slap in the face. They’re doing what needs to be done. Why keep examining every fiber of their build-up? Does anyone in FIFA have confidence in SA?
What do you think? Please leave comments and opinions.
Written by Darkvader on July 3rd, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Danny Jordaan and FIFA and South Africa and United States and Zimbabwe.
As many know, the runoff election in Robert Mugabe’s Zimbabwe and it’s social and political implications have caused a wide amount of fervor in the world press.
Many see the runoff election against opposition leader Morgan Tsvangirai as a front, citing the violence and intimidation tactics used by Mugabe’s supporters as a testament to the ruined democracy in the former Rhodesia.
The violence became so bad that Tsvangirai dropped out of the race last week, saying the runoff election was a joke and that his dropping out would prevent the deaths of many more people.
It’s a very sad situation in Zimbabwe these days. So what does soccer have to do with all this?
Think of the protests taking place in Tibet and around the world in opposition to the Chinese human-rights record ahead of the Beijing Summer Olympics and you get an idea where we’re headed with this.
Here, an Op-Ed article that appeared in this Tuesday’s New York Times where author Peter Godwin argues that maybe ‘Zimbabwe should become to the South Africa-hosted World Cup what Tibet has been to the Beijing Olympics — the pungent albatross that spoils every press conference and mars every presentation with its insistent odor.’
He makes an interesting, thoughtful point. Take a read at the article here or click the link above for the enlightening read.
Soccer 1, Mugabe 0
by Peter Godwin
IN these last few weeks, the full nature of Robert Mugabe’s repressive regime in Zimbabwe has been cruelly exposed. With his increasingly brazen resort to torture and hit squads to terrorize his own people, Mr. Mugabe has crossed a moral line. Some United Nations lawyers now say there is enough evidence to charge him with crimes against humanity.
Morgan Tsvangirai, the leader of the Movement for Democratic Change and Mr. Mugabe’s opponent in Friday’s runoff presidential election, had little choice but to pull out of the race. (Mr. Tsvangirai has taken refuge in the Dutch embassy in Harare.) Proceeding with elections would have ensured the murder of even more of his supporters. Any middle ground in this conflict has disappeared.
Standing amid the ruins of Zimbabwe looms the vacillating, dithering, morally compromised figure of Thabo Mbeki, the president of South Africa — hitherto the point man in the region — who was supposed to help ensure a free and fair outcome in the Zimbabwean election. Even at this late stage, with death squads on the move, Mr. Mbeki is still trying to persuade the Movement for Democratic Change to participate as a junior partner in some sort of Kenya-style unity government.
Mr. Tsvangirai and his followers — who have remained nonviolent, participated in three rigged elections and tried to inhabit “democratic space” as it diminished to a sliver — are understandably loath to join in an administration with the very people who have been attacking them. What’s more, joining would only reward Mr. Mugabe for his violent repression. The solution for Zimbabwe is simple: a free and fair election.
The international community has no choice but to delegitimize Mr. Mugabe’s regime. For a start, the “results” of Friday’s election should not be recognized. In effect, the world should no longer acknowledge Mr. Mugabe as Zimbabwe’s president. And should the opposition set up a government in exile, the West should move to deal with that government instead, based on the results of the March election, in which Mr. Tsvangirai drew more votes than Mr. Mugabe.
Of course, South Africa could use its economic power to draw Mr. Mugabe’s rule to an end in weeks rather than months. Yet Mr. Mbeki has steadfastly refused to act, providing a protective cloak for Mr. Mugabe’s repression. And just a few weeks ago, even as opposition members were being tortured, Mr. Mbeki visited Zimbabwe, allowing himself to be garlanded at the airport and displayed on state-run TV with a broadly grinning Mr. Mugabe. In the United Nations Security Council, where South Africa currently has a seat, Mr. Mbeki has opposed attempts to put the political situation in Zimbabwe on the agenda.
If Mr. Mbeki’s cost-benefit calculus has been such that he hasn’t seen it necessary to take tougher action, perhaps it’s time to change that calculus. Perhaps, for example, now is not the time for you to book a safari to South Africa. Or for you, or any institution that manages your funds, to make new investments in the country.
Most important, there is the FIFA soccer World Cup, for which South Africa is to act as host in 2010. That may seem like a long way off, but South Africa is already investing huge amounts both financially and politically, for what is supposed to be its triumphal coming-out party. Maybe Zimbabwe should become to the South Africa-hosted World Cup what Tibet has been to the Beijing Olympics — the pungent albatross that spoils every press conference and mars every presentation with its insistent odor.
Perhaps it’s time to share the Zimbabweans’ pain, to help persuade Mr. Mbeki to bear down on its source by threatening to grab the world’s soccer ball and take our games elsewhere.
Written by Darkvader on June 28th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on 2010 World Cup and South Africa and Zimbabwe.
This is just beyond crazy …
According to South Africa’s Football365 website, fans wishing to watch Zimbabwe’s 2010 World Cup/African Cup of Nations qualifier against Namibia on Sunday will have to fork out up to $10 billion for a ticket.
This isn’t a joke. This is ridiculous!
The cheapest ticket is pegged at $1.5 billion!!!
However, those not keen to seat with the povo (a loose term referring to the common people of that country - to use Zimbabwe liberation struggle parlance) will have to pay either $5 billion for a seat in the Upper West stand or $10 billion for the VIP arena.
A full house is expected at the Rufaro stadium as a country ravaged by political turmoil and hyperinflation welcomes the opportunity to escape, albeit temporarily, the hardships of everyday life and finds reprieve in a game of football.
Zimbabwe pulled off one of the surprise results of the opening round of the 2010 qualifiers by holding Guinea to a goalless draw last weekend.
They will be hoping to build on that result by getting the better of early group leaders Namibia, who beat Kenya 2-1 in the opener last Saturday.
The match between the two African rivals, who both go by the same moniker - Zimbabwe simply known as ‘The Warriors’ and Namibia as ‘Brave Warriors’ - is accorded derby status. Bragging rights will also be at stake.
MY POV: Inflation has dragged this country’s dollar way, way down. Having a derelict like Robert Mugabe in power doesn’t help. While I don’t intend to make this a political blog and stoke the flames, I do think he’s an awful politician and a virtual dictator …
Ok, with that out of the way, let’s also say that $10 billion Zimbabwe dollars is worth about $1.69 American dollars …
Still, take a look at this article about the Zimbabwean economy … according to the article, a loaf of bread now costs what 12 new cars did a decade ago.
Inflation rose 1,063,572% in May … ridiculous …
The economic decline has been blamed on the collapse of key agriculture sectors following the violent seizures of farmland from whites. Mugabe claimed the seizures begun in 2002 were to benefit poor blacks, but many of the farms went to his loyalists.
Let’s hope Zimbabwe does better in World Cup qualifiers than they’ve done in politics. The people there deserve that, at least …
Written by Darkvader on June 4th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on 2010 World Cup qualifying and Namibia and Zimbabwe.
Zimbabwe's Dynamos budgeted 300-billion Zimbabwe dollars (Z$) to cover the costs of its return leg of the African Champions League tie against Etoile Sahel of Tunisia.
And it's not enough.
Because of currency buying regulations and hyperinflation the team is unable to purchase enough US dollars to pay for the trip.
The current cost of the trip would be 10-trillion Zimbabwe dollars.
At the turn of the new year, the country's Central Statistical Office had officially announced that inflation had passed the 100,000% mark. And on April 4, the Zimbabwe Financial Gazette reported that, by February, it had jumped to 164,900% (And you thought W. couldn't fuck things up any worse).
Last week, when the country unfixed its pegged exchange rates, Zimbabawe's official exchange rate floated to $1US = Z$ 168,815,000 (that's $169 million if the zeros are confusing you), meaning the cost of the trip would be about US$50,000.
So it's not just that Dr. Evil is running the Zimbabwe FA, it's that the government is trying to run a country on Monopoly money. Ask Germany, it doesn't work. The irony being it's a Munich-based company that's literally printing the money to run the economy into the ground. The München-based company, Giesecke & Devrient is receiving more than US$700,000 a week for delivering bank notes at the absurd rate of Z$170 trillion a week.
Hey, at least the Germans have experience with this sort of thing. Thankfully Zimbabwe doesn't have an antsy megalomaniacal streak in them. So it's neighbors are safe.
Anyway, it's a bummer because Etoile Sahel are the defending champions and Dynamos hold a 1-0 lead after the home leg and if any club would have that kind of coin you'd think it would be one whose nickname is the "Glamour Boys". But even at 10-trillion, it's probably even outside the spending habits of Roman Abramovich.
Although if anybody else has 10-trillion dollars laying around and has always wanted to help out Zimbabwe, opportunity has met preparation.
Written by Darkvader on May 8th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on Precious Roy and Shitty Economies and Trillions of Dollars and Zimbabwe.
Much of the world played World Cup qualifying last night.
Others played friendlies in preparation for the 2010 World Cup.
Africa was no exception as the continent prepares itself for the much-anticipated 2008 Beijing Olympics and the 2010 World Cup in South Africa.
First up, African champions Egypt were beaten 2-0 by the world's top ranked side, Argentina.
A full strength Egypt side, including controversial keeper Essam El Hadary, conceded two goals in the last 20 minutes to go down to the South American giants.
But in Pretoria, the upcoming World Cup hosts, South Africa, secured a deserved 3-0 victory over their own South American opposition, Paraguay.
In the process, striker Benni McCarthy became his country's top international goalscorer.
In other matches, Ghana lost to Mexico 2-1.
Ghana took the lead in this game, held at Fulham's Craven Cottage ground in London, but they were not able to hold on to it.
After a goalless first half, Michael Essien gave the Black Stars the lead with a driving shot from outside the area, which went in off the post.
But Mexico equalised in simple fashion, when Ghana's substitute goalkeeper, Patrick Antwi, slipped as he prepared to deal with a back pass.
Carlos Salcido punished his mistake.
Four minutes from time, Ghana captain John Mensah hauled down Adolfo Bautista in the box and Mexico's Pavel Pardo stepped up to convert the penalty and give his side the win.
Also, Morocco bounced back from their dreadful Cup of Nations campaign with a 4-1 win over Belgium.
It was a first win for stand-in coach Fathi Jamal, who took over after the departure of Henri Michel.
"After our dramatic exit in the Africa Cup, this really feels great. It has been a long time since we played like this," Morocco playmaker Mbark Boussoufa said.
Tunisia met Ivory Coast in France, and came away with a 2-0 win.
Goals from Tijani Belaid and Radhouane Felhi gave Roger Lemerre's side victory, although the coach is soon to leave his post.
Liberia scored a surprise 2-0 win over Sudan in Khartoum, in their first game under new coach Antoine Hey.
The first result of the day was a 1-1 draw between Uganda and Libya in Kampala.
Caesar Okhuti put the Cranes ahead in the 48th minute, with the equalizer coming in the 90th minute from Younes Shidani.
DR Congo and Algeria were in France for another match taking place near Paris.
Dieumerci Mbokani put the Simbas ahead in the 35th minute, but a late penalty converted by Kamel Ghiles meant the game ended 1-1.
Tanzania's game against Mozambique was canceled due to heavy rains at the old national stadium in Dar es Salaam.
Mozambique turned down a proposal to have the match played on Thursday.
Elsewhere, Zimbabwe beat Botswana 1-0 in Gaborone, with the goal scored by Cuthbert Malajila.
Written by Darkvader on March 27th, 2008 with no comments.
Read more articles on 2008 Olympics and 2010 World Cup and Algeria and Botswana and Egypt and Ghana and Ivory Coast and Liberia and Libya and Morocco and Mozambique and South Africa and Sudan and Tanzania and Tunisia and Uganda and Zimbabwe and congo.
