Opinion / Columnist
Ex - Dynamos and CAPS United player dumps newly born baby , wife and kids
14 Jun 2023 at 08:04hrs | Views
IT was an emotional scene at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport yesterday when the players from the Archford Gutu Boys Academy, who have been stranded in the United Arab Emirates after a football trip that turned into a nightmare, were finally reunited with their parents and relatives almost four months later.
The players were part of the group that travelled to the United Arab Emirates in February on what was supposed to be a two-week trip with the promise that they were going for trials.
But the jaunt ended in shambles as the players ended up stranded without return tickets, their travelling documents confiscated and with piling hotel bills and penalties accruing for overstaying in a foreign country.
Their ordeal only came to light after communicating to their parents on what was going on in Dubai.
Some Zimbabweans based in the UAE in their individual capacities stepped in to assist the players in securing decent accommodation.
And it took the Government's interventions to bring the players back home.
The aspiring football players including the academy's captain Blessing Jonasi, Kembo Moyana, Tino Zaranyika, Nigel Mandibatsira, Nyasha Mulongoti, Tinashe Gutu and Craig Mutakura were welcomed by their parents at the airport.
Also present were Government officials, including the director sport and recreation in the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation, Eugenia Chidhakwa, and Sport and Recreation Commission (SRC) director-general Eltah Nengomasha.
Some of the parents and players could not hold back their tears at the reunion.
The academy's captain Jonasi shared their sad experience in Dubai and said it was unfortunate they ended up going through the challenges after the trip organised by ex-Dynamos and CAPS United player Archford Gutu, who is also the academy's director, turned out to be a nightmare. Jonas however, vowed they would not stop to pursue their football passion.
"Honestly speaking, the experience was very traumatising. But as much as it was traumatising, we would also like to look at the positives. We did manage to play football, we had two friendly games that we played and out of all that we had other experiences.
"We realised that things were not going well when we were being checked out of hotels in the middle of the night. Sometimes it was during the day, and having to go in the streets, sometimes having to sit at the hotel lobbies waiting for us to actually get another place to stay. But we are really grateful that we are back home now," said Jonasi.
The young players were assisted by UAE-based football coach Shingi Mungwini who took them in and organised alternative accommodation and decent meals for them.
"We really like to thank coach Shingi Mungwini, who spearheaded everything. Our parents reached out to him after the first article that came out. And he did everything in his power to assist us, to reach out to the embassy," Jonasi said.
Another player, Craig Mutakura, who is an Upper Six pupil, said he has lost a lot in terms of his school work.
"I started focusing on this trip last year when I was in lower six. So from last year third term to February, I was focusing on this trip and I was putting all my efforts and everything on this trip.
"Unfortunately, it kind of affected me from last year when I got scouted . . . I really missed a lot of work in school."
His mother Loleen Mutakura said they have had to map a way forward as a family on how to proceed.
"As a parent, it's been difficult just to be told that the kids are in Dubai and they are stuck. We couldn't sleep. It was really tough on us.
"Now that they are back, we want to thank God for them to come back. It was God and we say our prayers have been answered.
"In terms of school, we have to sit down with him and see how best we go about it because he is A Level, he is Upper Six . . . So we want to see if he can continue with school at the same time pursuing football.
"We would want to sit down with him as parents and see how we proceed."
Another parent, Nyari Makovere, was grateful for the assistance from Government.
"We thank God that at last everything went well. The government intervened and assisted to bring back home our kids. We were in a difficult situation. The amount of the money that was needed was huge, we didn't know what to do.
"So we want to thank government because the government stepped in and paid for everything.
"We are very happy as parents. We are very grateful," said Makovere.
The children had accumulated hotel bills of 51 000 dirhams (approximately US$14 000). Gutu has since disappeared from the scene. His passport, which was confiscated by the hotel has since been returned to his wife, who was part of the delegation, after Government's intervention.
The former Warriors midfielder is reported to have deserted his wife, who gave birth in Dubai during the trip.
Gutu had taken 17 young players to Dubai on February 25 but he reportedly squandered the money contributed by the parents and the boys were stranded long after their 30-day visas had expired, with their plight getting dire by the day.
An official from the Ministry of Sports, Chidhakwa, said the Government had to intervene to repatriate the players safely.
"I would say the Government of Zimbabwe has facilitated for these kids to come back home. When we say the government of Zimbabwe, it's a holistic approach.
"It started with the Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation, presenting this, Ministry of Home Affairs, the embassy, different Ministries came together to make sure that we were able to bring these kids home.
"And I think the greatest lesson we are learning from here is we've got people or agencies who are Nicodemously taking children outside the country without our knowledge because from the word go we did not know. They did not seek clearance from ZIFA, which is the association in charge of football.
"They did not seek clearance from the Sport and Recreation Commission which is the regulatory authority of sport," said Chidhakwa.
She said there is need for procedures to be followed to avoid such situations in future.
"There is nothing wrong in scouting for talent but there is everything wrong when people decide not to follow processes and procedures.
"We wouldn't want such a thing to happen and that is the reason why as the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation, we are coming (up) with the Sport Integrity Bill. It covers a lot of issues to do with this and we are hoping that when it is now enacted into an Act or law a lot of things should stop to happen."
Chidhakwa said the immediate priority was to bring back the players home but, through the Sports Commission, they will investigate the trip further.
SRC director-general Nengomasha said the commission will not tolerate any behaviour that put athletes at risk.
"As the SRC we are happy that our athletes are back home.
"But it is our sincere hope that beyond this there are lessons we have learnt as the regulators of sport. There are lessons we have learnt on how we mitigate and protect our athletes from future incidences of this nature," said Nengomasha.
The players were part of the group that travelled to the United Arab Emirates in February on what was supposed to be a two-week trip with the promise that they were going for trials.
But the jaunt ended in shambles as the players ended up stranded without return tickets, their travelling documents confiscated and with piling hotel bills and penalties accruing for overstaying in a foreign country.
Their ordeal only came to light after communicating to their parents on what was going on in Dubai.
Some Zimbabweans based in the UAE in their individual capacities stepped in to assist the players in securing decent accommodation.
And it took the Government's interventions to bring the players back home.
The aspiring football players including the academy's captain Blessing Jonasi, Kembo Moyana, Tino Zaranyika, Nigel Mandibatsira, Nyasha Mulongoti, Tinashe Gutu and Craig Mutakura were welcomed by their parents at the airport.
Also present were Government officials, including the director sport and recreation in the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation, Eugenia Chidhakwa, and Sport and Recreation Commission (SRC) director-general Eltah Nengomasha.
Some of the parents and players could not hold back their tears at the reunion.
The academy's captain Jonasi shared their sad experience in Dubai and said it was unfortunate they ended up going through the challenges after the trip organised by ex-Dynamos and CAPS United player Archford Gutu, who is also the academy's director, turned out to be a nightmare. Jonas however, vowed they would not stop to pursue their football passion.
"Honestly speaking, the experience was very traumatising. But as much as it was traumatising, we would also like to look at the positives. We did manage to play football, we had two friendly games that we played and out of all that we had other experiences.
"We realised that things were not going well when we were being checked out of hotels in the middle of the night. Sometimes it was during the day, and having to go in the streets, sometimes having to sit at the hotel lobbies waiting for us to actually get another place to stay. But we are really grateful that we are back home now," said Jonasi.
The young players were assisted by UAE-based football coach Shingi Mungwini who took them in and organised alternative accommodation and decent meals for them.
"We really like to thank coach Shingi Mungwini, who spearheaded everything. Our parents reached out to him after the first article that came out. And he did everything in his power to assist us, to reach out to the embassy," Jonasi said.
Another player, Craig Mutakura, who is an Upper Six pupil, said he has lost a lot in terms of his school work.
"I started focusing on this trip last year when I was in lower six. So from last year third term to February, I was focusing on this trip and I was putting all my efforts and everything on this trip.
"Unfortunately, it kind of affected me from last year when I got scouted . . . I really missed a lot of work in school."
His mother Loleen Mutakura said they have had to map a way forward as a family on how to proceed.
"As a parent, it's been difficult just to be told that the kids are in Dubai and they are stuck. We couldn't sleep. It was really tough on us.
"Now that they are back, we want to thank God for them to come back. It was God and we say our prayers have been answered.
"We would want to sit down with him as parents and see how we proceed."
Another parent, Nyari Makovere, was grateful for the assistance from Government.
"We thank God that at last everything went well. The government intervened and assisted to bring back home our kids. We were in a difficult situation. The amount of the money that was needed was huge, we didn't know what to do.
"So we want to thank government because the government stepped in and paid for everything.
"We are very happy as parents. We are very grateful," said Makovere.
The children had accumulated hotel bills of 51 000 dirhams (approximately US$14 000). Gutu has since disappeared from the scene. His passport, which was confiscated by the hotel has since been returned to his wife, who was part of the delegation, after Government's intervention.
The former Warriors midfielder is reported to have deserted his wife, who gave birth in Dubai during the trip.
Gutu had taken 17 young players to Dubai on February 25 but he reportedly squandered the money contributed by the parents and the boys were stranded long after their 30-day visas had expired, with their plight getting dire by the day.
An official from the Ministry of Sports, Chidhakwa, said the Government had to intervene to repatriate the players safely.
"I would say the Government of Zimbabwe has facilitated for these kids to come back home. When we say the government of Zimbabwe, it's a holistic approach.
"It started with the Minister of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation, presenting this, Ministry of Home Affairs, the embassy, different Ministries came together to make sure that we were able to bring these kids home.
"And I think the greatest lesson we are learning from here is we've got people or agencies who are Nicodemously taking children outside the country without our knowledge because from the word go we did not know. They did not seek clearance from ZIFA, which is the association in charge of football.
"They did not seek clearance from the Sport and Recreation Commission which is the regulatory authority of sport," said Chidhakwa.
She said there is need for procedures to be followed to avoid such situations in future.
"There is nothing wrong in scouting for talent but there is everything wrong when people decide not to follow processes and procedures.
"We wouldn't want such a thing to happen and that is the reason why as the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation, we are coming (up) with the Sport Integrity Bill. It covers a lot of issues to do with this and we are hoping that when it is now enacted into an Act or law a lot of things should stop to happen."
Chidhakwa said the immediate priority was to bring back the players home but, through the Sports Commission, they will investigate the trip further.
SRC director-general Nengomasha said the commission will not tolerate any behaviour that put athletes at risk.
"As the SRC we are happy that our athletes are back home.
"But it is our sincere hope that beyond this there are lessons we have learnt as the regulators of sport. There are lessons we have learnt on how we mitigate and protect our athletes from future incidences of this nature," said Nengomasha.
Source - Erick Matotoba
All articles and letters published on Bulawayo24 have been independently written by members of Bulawayo24's community. The views of users published on Bulawayo24 are therefore their own and do not necessarily represent the views of Bulawayo24. Bulawayo24 editors also reserve the right to edit or delete any and all comments received.
