Sports / Soccer
Vitalis Takawira itches for Zimbabwe return
05 Jun 2016 at 11:35hrs | Views
HIS superb hat-trick which saw Zimbabwe annihilate the Indomitable Lions of Cameroon 4-1 at the National Sports Stadium in a 1996 Nations Cup qualifier on January 22 1995 will forever be remembered in local football folklore.
A firm favourite of the fans with his dribbling skills and goal-scoring exploits, "Digital", as Takawira is affectionately known, was one of the stars of the Reinhard Fabisch-coached famous Dream Team, which almost qualified for the 1994 World Cup.
It's now 12 years since Takawira hung his boots, but he has by no means lost interest in the game and in fact, still harbours dreams of contributing to Zimbabwean's football cause one day.
The 44-year-old former Dynamos, FC Winterthur and Kansas City Wizards ace has been involved in developing junior football talent in his adopted nation, while also studying for his coaching badges.
In an interview with Standardsport from his base in the United States, Takawira said he sees himself contributing to Zimbabwean football in the future.
"Yes, why not? I definitely see myself being part of Zimbabwe's football in the future. You can never say never, but for now, I'm still working on getting my coaching badge and doing my soccer administration courses," he said.
"Since I retired from playing soccer, I took a break for a year to spend more time with my wife and kids, catching up on the lost time I missed while playing. However, I'm still much involved with soccer.
"I have a United States Soccer Federation (USSF) B coaching licence and I'm working on getting an A licence, which is the highest coaching certificate in America. In the meantime, I have also been coaching the U-8, U-12, U-14 and U-16 academy teams at soccer club Waukesha in Brookfield, Wisconsin," Takawira added.
The second born in a family of six, Takawira spent most of his childhood at the Tomlinson Depot prison camp where his father Nicholas Zviripayi Takawira - a Dynamos fanatic - worked as a prison guard.
With his elder brother Claudious, who used the surname Zviripayi, already coming through the ranks at police side ZRP Tomlinson, before moving to Dynamos, it didn't come as a surprise when young Takawira ended up at the Harare giants' juniors.
"My dad was and is still a Dynamos fanatic, that's how I fell in love with soccer," said Takawira. "I was 13 but my brother Claudious was already into soccer big time when he was still in school. He was already playing for ZRP coached by the late [Stanley] Marunza."
"My friend Simon Chuma is the one who persuaded me to join him at the Dynamos Under-16 juniors as he was already playing for them. The first practice he took me I chickened out and ran away. I was scared to join. you can't blame me for that. come on, it was Dynamos junior; the biggest club in the country.
"He took me back again the next day and told me to relax and be myself at practise. I grabbed this [opportunity] with both hands. Until today I'm always grateful for Simon Chuma as he helped me kickstart my career."
After playing his entire domestic career at Dynamos and winning a number of accolades in the process, Takawira - who still keenly follows local football - added his voice to the growing list of former players who believe the standards of the local game have gone down.
"Of course, I still follow Zimbabwean soccer but I don't get the chance to see a lot of games, only the ones shown on TV. My observation is that football in Zimbabwe has changed a lot. The passion is no longer there, the skills levels among players have deteriorated compared to during our time."
Takawira continued: "The days when I played, if you played for Dynamos you didn't join Caps United or Highlanders and vice versa. That was being loyal and that made the game competitive and exciting for the fans to watch. These days yangova mvenge mvenge [there is so much confusion], it's all about money and not about the game or the club at heart," said Takawira.
Takawira is now settled in the US with his wife Chipo Mwatselele Takawira and their four children - Farlen (23), Vitalis Jr (16), and twin boys Nathan and Vincent, aged seven.
His eldest son Vitalis Jr already looks set to follow in his father's footsteps, having established himself as one of the rising stars at the youth academy side for MLS giants Chicago Fire.
"He loves to learn and play soccer and he is just doing great on that," Takawira said. "He hears a lot about my playing days so he is eager to surpass me. He keeps telling me that he is going to be better than me."
A firm favourite of the fans with his dribbling skills and goal-scoring exploits, "Digital", as Takawira is affectionately known, was one of the stars of the Reinhard Fabisch-coached famous Dream Team, which almost qualified for the 1994 World Cup.
It's now 12 years since Takawira hung his boots, but he has by no means lost interest in the game and in fact, still harbours dreams of contributing to Zimbabwean's football cause one day.
The 44-year-old former Dynamos, FC Winterthur and Kansas City Wizards ace has been involved in developing junior football talent in his adopted nation, while also studying for his coaching badges.
In an interview with Standardsport from his base in the United States, Takawira said he sees himself contributing to Zimbabwean football in the future.
"Yes, why not? I definitely see myself being part of Zimbabwe's football in the future. You can never say never, but for now, I'm still working on getting my coaching badge and doing my soccer administration courses," he said.
"Since I retired from playing soccer, I took a break for a year to spend more time with my wife and kids, catching up on the lost time I missed while playing. However, I'm still much involved with soccer.
"I have a United States Soccer Federation (USSF) B coaching licence and I'm working on getting an A licence, which is the highest coaching certificate in America. In the meantime, I have also been coaching the U-8, U-12, U-14 and U-16 academy teams at soccer club Waukesha in Brookfield, Wisconsin," Takawira added.
The second born in a family of six, Takawira spent most of his childhood at the Tomlinson Depot prison camp where his father Nicholas Zviripayi Takawira - a Dynamos fanatic - worked as a prison guard.
"My dad was and is still a Dynamos fanatic, that's how I fell in love with soccer," said Takawira. "I was 13 but my brother Claudious was already into soccer big time when he was still in school. He was already playing for ZRP coached by the late [Stanley] Marunza."
"My friend Simon Chuma is the one who persuaded me to join him at the Dynamos Under-16 juniors as he was already playing for them. The first practice he took me I chickened out and ran away. I was scared to join. you can't blame me for that. come on, it was Dynamos junior; the biggest club in the country.
"He took me back again the next day and told me to relax and be myself at practise. I grabbed this [opportunity] with both hands. Until today I'm always grateful for Simon Chuma as he helped me kickstart my career."
After playing his entire domestic career at Dynamos and winning a number of accolades in the process, Takawira - who still keenly follows local football - added his voice to the growing list of former players who believe the standards of the local game have gone down.
"Of course, I still follow Zimbabwean soccer but I don't get the chance to see a lot of games, only the ones shown on TV. My observation is that football in Zimbabwe has changed a lot. The passion is no longer there, the skills levels among players have deteriorated compared to during our time."
Takawira continued: "The days when I played, if you played for Dynamos you didn't join Caps United or Highlanders and vice versa. That was being loyal and that made the game competitive and exciting for the fans to watch. These days yangova mvenge mvenge [there is so much confusion], it's all about money and not about the game or the club at heart," said Takawira.
Takawira is now settled in the US with his wife Chipo Mwatselele Takawira and their four children - Farlen (23), Vitalis Jr (16), and twin boys Nathan and Vincent, aged seven.
His eldest son Vitalis Jr already looks set to follow in his father's footsteps, having established himself as one of the rising stars at the youth academy side for MLS giants Chicago Fire.
"He loves to learn and play soccer and he is just doing great on that," Takawira said. "He hears a lot about my playing days so he is eager to surpass me. He keeps telling me that he is going to be better than me."
Source - the standard
