A letter to Christian Epoupa

Dear younger brother

My name is Alois "GQ". I am a former footballer who played for Darryn T, Blackpool and CAPS United FC before moving to the South African Premiership. That's from 1991 to 1999.

I write this letter offering a piece of advice to you. You may decide to take it or not. If you ask my friends, they will tell you that I predicted your super stardom in Zimbabwean football when you played your very first game for Dynamos at the National Sports Stadium (NSS). As people were saying you were claiming a goal that you flicked on, I had seen enough of your qualities. I argued in your corner when some of my friends were quick to write you off in your first two games. When you hit that sweet volley at NSS, on the turn, in that night game against Ngezi, I did predict you were going to top score in the country. Hakuna munhu anogowesa Bhora rakadaro iye asingagone bhora (That was master class, only a good footballer could do that).

I declared you the best striker in the country at the moment and I predicted you won't last more than a year in this country. You are destined for bigger leagues.

I just wanted to advise you not to be misled. Football is a physical game, as the top striker in the country, you should expect to be tightly marked and closely monitored. Some defenders will use rough play on you and some will even harass you. Some will verbally abuse you and some will poke you. The best thing you should do is to keep your cool and stay focused. Don't let opposition see that you easily react negatively to provocation. They will do more. Trust me, I have been there my brother. I even have broken legs and torn ligaments to show for it. I used to get kicked and abused. Bosso and DeMbare fans would pour snuff and urine on me before games. They would shout unprintable words at me (some still do to this day).

But I stayed calm and focused - did the business of the field with my feet - scoring goals and dribbling opposition.

A defender can do so much to you but stay calm and punish the defender with a goal or a dribble. Leave the rest to the referee. My dear younger brother, head butting an opponent is never the correct response to frustration on a soccer field. Retaliation is not an answer.

The world over, it's a punishable offence with a straight red card no matter how much you are wronged.

Respond with goals and top performances and earn respect from both camps. Don't listen to people who are trying to justify your head butting act. They are not good for you or your football.

Take recent events as a lesson that you cannot behave that way at any time on a football field. I was right there at the stadium, I do sympathise with you, I saw the slap you got from Peter Muduhwa. I saw all the harassment and the fist just before the head-butt. I saw all the vicious tackles too as I cringed. But deep down I hoped you would take that in your stride and use it as verve to punish defenders with goals.

I was disappointed that you succumbed when your team needed you the most. You are human but in this game one also needs to play smart. Let the referee who was failing to protect you be punished by his assessors. Never take matters into your own hands like you did. It steals something from you.

Accept what you did was wrong even though some may want to justify your actions because of the treatment you got, it's still wrong.

Stand up and apologise for the head butt. That is what big men do.

Your brother in football

Alois "Gazza" Bunjira.