Sports / Local
Tarumbwa back at Bantu Rovers
05 Mar 2014 at 06:50hrs | Views
FORMER Highlanders winger Obadiah Tarumbwa has been offloaded by his Absa Premier Soccer League side Pretoria University and is reportedly on his way to re-unite with Bantu Rovers.
AmaTuks, as Pretoria University are known, signed Tarumbwa from Sofapaka of Kenya in July last year on a three-year deal but the striker failed to live up to the expectations. Instead, Tarumbwa spent most of his time warming the bench and as a result fell down the perking order.
AmaTuks coach Steve Barker was diplomatic in his response on showing Tarumbwa the door, telling Chronicle Sport that they reached "a mutual agreement" to terminate the player's contract.
"We reached a mutual agreement with the player as we thought it was going to make everybody happy. The Zimbabwean player was always good, disciplined and focused but what happened to him not to contribute immensely and score goals for the team can happen to anyone. I wish him great success even though he never fulfilled his goals with the team," said Barker.
Chronicle Sport established that the player has been jobless since January, thus making him decide to retrace his footsteps back to Bantu Rovers the last Zimbabwean club that he played for, before he went abroad.
Bantu Rovers, who last competed in the top-light in 2010, are back in the Premiership after agreeing a merger with Plumtree Chiefs and have been busy strengthening their squad ahead of the season's start.
According to usually impeccable sources, Tarumbwa is expected to arrive in Bulawayo from South Africa to join his new teammates tomorrow.
"Oba is coming back and he will lead our squad. I think this time around he is serious about resuscitating his career and he believes that Bantu Rovers are the best place for him to revive his fading career. He has a potential to do better and I think he will settle well with less pressure at Bantu Rovers," said the source.
It seems things were not rosy for Tarumbwa at the Tshwane club and it is believed that he met Bantu Rovers' general manager Wilbert Sibanda in South Africa where they spoke about a possibility of the player returning home since he was not commanding a regular starting place.
Contacted for comment yesterday, Sibanda said he was not aware of the imminent return of Tarumbwa.
"It is news to me that Oba has been released by AmaTuks. When did that happen? If indeed it is true that he is available on the market, I will find out. He might add value to the squad. He is a good player and if we manage to get him that will be great," Sibanda said.
Besides playing in Kenya and South Africa, Tarumbwa has in the past turned out for Cercle Brugge in Belgium and had a stint in Cyprus.
At Bantu Rovers, Tarumbwa will reunite with his former teammates at Highlanders Zephaniah Ngodzo, Ocean Mpofu and Lawson Nkomo.
AmaTuks, as Pretoria University are known, signed Tarumbwa from Sofapaka of Kenya in July last year on a three-year deal but the striker failed to live up to the expectations. Instead, Tarumbwa spent most of his time warming the bench and as a result fell down the perking order.
AmaTuks coach Steve Barker was diplomatic in his response on showing Tarumbwa the door, telling Chronicle Sport that they reached "a mutual agreement" to terminate the player's contract.
"We reached a mutual agreement with the player as we thought it was going to make everybody happy. The Zimbabwean player was always good, disciplined and focused but what happened to him not to contribute immensely and score goals for the team can happen to anyone. I wish him great success even though he never fulfilled his goals with the team," said Barker.
Chronicle Sport established that the player has been jobless since January, thus making him decide to retrace his footsteps back to Bantu Rovers the last Zimbabwean club that he played for, before he went abroad.
Bantu Rovers, who last competed in the top-light in 2010, are back in the Premiership after agreeing a merger with Plumtree Chiefs and have been busy strengthening their squad ahead of the season's start.
According to usually impeccable sources, Tarumbwa is expected to arrive in Bulawayo from South Africa to join his new teammates tomorrow.
"Oba is coming back and he will lead our squad. I think this time around he is serious about resuscitating his career and he believes that Bantu Rovers are the best place for him to revive his fading career. He has a potential to do better and I think he will settle well with less pressure at Bantu Rovers," said the source.
It seems things were not rosy for Tarumbwa at the Tshwane club and it is believed that he met Bantu Rovers' general manager Wilbert Sibanda in South Africa where they spoke about a possibility of the player returning home since he was not commanding a regular starting place.
Contacted for comment yesterday, Sibanda said he was not aware of the imminent return of Tarumbwa.
"It is news to me that Oba has been released by AmaTuks. When did that happen? If indeed it is true that he is available on the market, I will find out. He might add value to the squad. He is a good player and if we manage to get him that will be great," Sibanda said.
Besides playing in Kenya and South Africa, Tarumbwa has in the past turned out for Cercle Brugge in Belgium and had a stint in Cyprus.
At Bantu Rovers, Tarumbwa will reunite with his former teammates at Highlanders Zephaniah Ngodzo, Ocean Mpofu and Lawson Nkomo.
Source - Chronicle
