About Delma Lupepe, Bossolona, let us think deeply

The last time on the subject of Delma Lupepe, I was completely misunderstood. If this was politics, I would say 'misquote'. My idea is not of giving Highlanders Football Club to Mr. Lupepe, but to bring Delma to Bosso. We observed that he could be desired for limited use by many as they consider him a huge risk as one comment went. I may agree only as far as his involvement is concerned depending on how you view it. What may be acceptable to him could be a role just as an active partner or at worst, a passive one. 

To put it into perspective, many thought that may be a parasitic situation. One Tshepo Mabalane was of the opinion that he was autocratic. "From a distance, Delma appears to be in the Kaizer Motaung and Roman Abrahamovic type of administrator who could be good for Man City, Chelsea or TP Mazembe type of situations." He thought Bosso needed a Perez or Joseph Bartomeu who have great respect of development structures and can spend millions on a nine year old, people who can let a star player of Yaya Toure's calibre go for the sake of their home-grown talent.

The fear that many have of him is the exact reason why he is the reason he should join the club. The many of his ruthless deals and both the obvious and underground networks became the juicy part of the possible marriage. Football is not for monks anymore. It is not a game for sissies. His appetite for power and hunger for success cannot compare with a human being I know. Cunning as a fox and with an eye for detail, his stand on the things he believe in, the same reason we crucified him, can be harnessed for the game, his success and the region.

Let us look at him as an employee. The credentials of the man as businessman and a footballer are never in doubt. There is obvious doubt of the possible intentions and his need for greed. It would be a fair assessment to say that he may grow too big for his shoes and become unscrupulous. The man is a natural deal maker, an authority. He becomes very aggressive and bullish when cornered. The Board and the Executive will not play the hide and sick where everybody is hiding and nobody is seeking. Lupepe can of course, speak the language and dance to the tune if needed.

First things first. Does Lupepe have the ability to make millions? Can he manufacture merchandise and items to grow a pregnant worldwide brand? Is he in need to make loads of cash? Then what credentials would one have to have? One thing, he will make millions, and so will the club. In his terms of engagement, there should never be any doubt that whosoever dances pays the piper.

The scope of the relationship would be limited to branding and merchandising as a Chief Operations Officer. His influence would be limited to just making money and nothing else. Bosso has strong legal teams and auditors to monitor him. Delma is globally well connected and the relationships he builds should benefit the club for life. Never should it be an option to have him influence the running of the club. His role should remain in the business side of Highlanders and build the Bosso brand as well to create a sustainable business wing capable of evolving and developing and stand the test of time.

All this, people know he is capable of, but can he be trusted? He will have to, given the potential of his vantage position in being associated with Mantengwane and being married to Tymon Mabaleka's sister. He needs the money, though not desperate, and there is money in the name of Highlanders, in the black and white shield with a spear and knobkerrie. His business acumen has no equal.

It should not be held back to deny him a dollar for a Bosso dollar deal. You can be sure he can build a million dollar franchise in Bosso and harness all its massive support that lies dormant in the diaspora. Another bet would be to hand him the rights to the name and brand and ask him to rack in the money from a distance, but monitoring someone else's business will not be easy at all. The deals and books would be hard to access and stock taking almost impossible. Audit report would be tempered with and all the accounting issue would be a huge mess.

I am convinced he would also get one marketing tool going, one I am passionate about. It is not the sale of merchandise and branding a few items. To many Bossolona sons and daughters, the honour of serving the club goes with their last kick of the ball for the team. What about music CDs and DVDs of the team's most memorable matches?

Back to my point. There is need for the Hall Of Fame. One simple thing that will make the names of the heroes immortal would be huge pictures in the stadium and dressing rooms. The away dressing room could be named Douglas Mloyi or Alexander Maseko This sends a message to the opposition that the goals will be hard to come by. The home dressing room could be Peter Ndlovu, inspiring the home strikers to go for the kill. The stands named after Madinda Ndlovu, Willard Khumalo, Benjamin Nkonjera and Peter Nkomo are just few examples of solidifying the history of the club and make the whole brand marketable. This, the Bosso supporters can do. All they have to do is to organise a march with a formal request to the City fathers who own the stadium.

Let us hear what you think by leaving a comment below and let's discuss.

Extra Time; Beauty of the Soweto Derby

I hid my face in shame and embarrassment upon hearing the news that a successive Battle of Zimbabwe encounter has been abandoned due to crowd trouble. It puzzles in that Bosso and Dembare, two of the most successful teams in the land could cause chaos and discomfort instead of jubilation and entertainment. It’s so unfortunate in that in our society we have to accommodate people who have a weakness of trying to have their way everywhere, people who can’t just accept defeat.


Most of these hooligans are not registered members who neither have knowledge on their club’s budget nor attend meetings. With this barbaric act, they discourage hard to get sponsors and puts clubs in unnecessary debts as they have to re-arrange abandoned matches. The fans must obey the referee’s decision because it is final. How can they justify the match officials’ pathetic performance by throwing in missiles? Supporters must learn to remain calm and unmoved even under the worst provocation. The League’s Disciplinary Committee deals with the match officials accordingly, as much as the referee cautions a player for misconduct. A bunch of fans mustn’t confront a match official for whatever reason. The unruly fans feel they are better match officials, coaches and have the better disciplinary committee.

Though the Battle of Zimbabwe and the Soweto Derby teams come from a different background, this is a chance to observe and emulate sportsmanship, love and peace demonstrated by Orlando Pirates and Kaiser Chiefs fans. Friendly war has erupted in cyberspace between these two sets of fans and whichever team wins this encounter will bless its fans with bragging rights. Though a few Chiefs fans threw in two vuvuzelas and a cabbage against Pirates last year, the situation was easily controlled and it never tainted the beauty of the Soweto derby. During the game you will find some Bucs and Chiefs fans mixed, cheering and dancing together. It’s such a spectacle to witness these fans using the same transport, blowing their vuvuzelas, enjoying their way to the stadium. Amakhosi have in their ranks four Zimbabweans whereas the Bucs have Makonese who’s not likely to feature in this high profile game.

This is a lesson hooligans should learn because they are a hazard to the community, they are a disgrace to the football fraternity. Hooliganism must stop, it must stop now. In 2001 a total of 141 fans were tragically lost in two separate incidents involving Ghana superpowers; Accra Hearts of Oak and Asante Kotoko, DRC crowd pullers; TP Mazembe and FC St Eloi Lupopo. On both disasters, fans became violent, police fired teargas in a bid to control the crowd and fans, escaping the gas, the supporters rushed and scrambled for the exit gates ensuring a stampede. Precious lives were lost in a game they call the world’s most beautiful.


Perhaps some misinterpret Bill Shankly’s famous quote when he said: “Some people believe football is a matter of life and death, I am very disappointed in that attitude. I can assure you it is much, much more important than that.” He didn’t mean to condone violence or promote hooliganism. Hooliganism must stop, and it must stop now.

(By Vusumuzi Mourinho Ndlovu)

Do not bet on Tevez going to Man U, he is heading back home

Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs are squeezing hard the back of Mamelodi Sundowns in the ABSA Premiership after victories over winless Moroka Swallows and Bidvest Wits respectively over this weekend. Pirates put 2 past the Birds with Teko Modise on song and Knowledge Musona punished the Students with a low free-kick. Nyasha Mushekwi made sure the Mimwana Phezulu remained on top with a solitary strike that kept Sundowns clear at the top.

TP Mazembe seemed overwhelmed by the occasion withdrawing into a cocoon in which they were buried by Inter Milan in the FIFA Club World Cup final in Abu Dhabi. The Africans took too much caution in their approach and their attack was even more lethargic for a team that have an excellent scoring record in the Cup.

The midfield was ever erratic in throwing away possession easily and the defence was ever in tatters, leaving too much spaces between personnel. The finishing was so pathetic that even without the goalkeeper, it is hard to say where the goals would come from. The team lost all cohesion and compactness and were over reliant on the long balls and distance shooting that would make rugby penalty takers a little jealous. Inter scored 3 beautiful goals and the win ensured Samuel Eto'o has won all club football accolades in his fantastic career. Better still, he scored one of the goals in the final to ice the act.

Carlos Tevez will play for Manchester United in the next life. To expect Sir Alex Ferguson to take him back after he left throwing sinks and kitchen tables at every one and everything in sight, is to grossly underestimate the ego of the best manager in the history of the game. I am not a fan of SAF but surely, at his worst, he will not accept Tevez for free even to make him an 11th player in a crisis where he needs numbers against arch rivals Man City.

It is hard to see how he will leave Manchester City to start with and surely, not many will be keen to have a problem child who does know what he wants. Spurs would do with his skills but they do not have the kitty for his appetite. Spanish clubs may fancy their luck aside Chelsea and the Italians. My bet is, if he leaves City, he may as well head back home. He made far too much for his expectation and it is confusing him.

TP Mazembe, as I said before, are the real deal

My ink has not even dried on the blog concerning how much of a revelation Democratic of the Republic of Congo and African champions, TP Mazembe are in playing textbook football. They have made history becoming the first African team to reach the FIFA Club World  Cup final after a stunning 2-0 victory over Internacional of Argentina, 2006 Champions, at the Mohammed Bin Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi.

TP Mazembe are purely men at work 24/7. They graft tirelessly for each other. Fear does not exist to them and they can not be intimidated at all. Mulota Kabangu scored a beautiful goal for a 53rd minute lead, followed by a Dioko Kaluyituka wonder goal with 5 minutes of play remaining. TP beat 1-0 Mexican side Pachucha 1-0 in the quarter-finals in a hungry lion-like manner. It was a performance that would give one confidence that one day soon, Africa will lift the FIFA World Cup.

As we speak, one more win, in their next official match will see them crowned the champions of the world. No team outside the UEFA and CONMEBOL federations have ever reached the Club World Cup final before. Their passage was not an easy one. Internacionale threatened to tear them apart with some Barcelona type of football, but the Africans put their best foot forward, refusing to be bossed around like a slave and holding their heads high with a disciplined performance.

The South Americans wanted a piece of the Congolese as early as the 12th minute and several good saves from goalkeeper Muteba Kidiaba kept them in the match despite efforts from Sobis, headers from Tinga and Indio in the 18th and 20th minutes. TP resorted to route one football, evading dealing with the more slick and creative midfield of the former champions who wanted to become first 2-time champions.

It was a reminder to the rest of Africa, that football is not based on colour or geographical location. Southern African teams like Kaizer Chiefs, Orlando Pirates, Highlanders, Dynamos, Power Dynamos, Nkana Red Devils and Kabwe Warriors, to name a few, better take a leaf from the solid performance of Mazembe, especially on the tactics of how to wear your opponents down without giving much away. It is always a case of forgetting who you are playing, casting away all doubt and playing 200% with heart.

Shibobo for shibobo, tsamaya for tsamaya, mpama for mpama, there is no equal to Southern African talent. There is however a big psychological gap as you go up north and west. Southerners generally, unfortunately, feel inferior to the northerners and westerners. TP Mazembe have torn those form books and are now basically world beaters. They have the least pressure going into the unexpected final with nothing to lose and I wouldn't bet on them losing. I must agree that winning it will be a big feat, but not impossible. VIVA AFRICA!

A lesson for teams like Highlanders, very free

There has been a few unfortunate or fortunate cases depending on the verdicts and point of view you may elect to suit yourself, in matters that have since been dubbed Asiagate by the Press of a certain nation of diamonds.

Unfortunate because of the immoral acts and hence the banning of leading individuals in betting scandals from football and the fall in the rankings of Zimbabwe in FIFA standings. Yet, fortunate enough for those who made the quick bloody buck and are still smiling at the dirty dollar power. Another name for it is, 'easy money'.

African champions, TP Mazembe were also investigated for Far East betting scandals. There may be a case for them to answer, but I will tell you something. TP can play ball. They were a revelation, at least to me, when they beat Mexican champions at the Club World Cup in Abu Dhabi. The team is a well oiled machine with tremendous potential.

Of note, is their pace. The accelerate and maintain an attacking momentum consistently. The passing accuracy is a joy to watch. The length and weight of the ball is always superb. Then there is the ball control to match. It is one synonymous with great players of old. Highlanders had players like Makheyi Nyathi and Benjamin Nkonjera. Team-mates always referred to these guys as magnetic to the ball.

The team is extremely competitive and fights for each other. The confidence rubs off the other players and as the match wears on, the cohesion improves the mentality of the team. The sorry state was the finishing in front of goal. Nonetheless, teams like Highlanders have a lot to learn because they are in the same mould. They must compete at the same level. They still have to arrive at the mini league stage and that is exactly what it takes to get there, and it is not magic.

I wish to get your comments if you watched the same match.