 Excerpts:
Grace Chirumanzu: How have been your MTN Caf Champions League preparations?
Godfrey Mungove: There is nothing bad so far, except for some squabbles that have been happening, but they have not affected us on the field. We are a small team, as other people would want to say, though we have won the championship, all that is needed is to organise ourselves before the tournament begins.
GC: Norman Mapeza helped Monomotapa win their first premiership title and qualify for the continental showpiece this year. How are the players taking his departure and would you feel he betrayed the team to have left at a crucial stage like this?
GM: There will be a bit of problems here and there, but life goes on. I have been at Monomotapa since 2003 and I have seen coaches come and go. So, personally I will not be affected, I don't know about the other players, but it's something they need to get used to, it's normal in football.
Mapeza is a good coach and so is the rest of the coaches the club has had, but I can say my best coach so far was Friday Phiri because I got something from him. All the coaches who came after him where perfecting what I had and teaching me the basics, otherwise most of what I know was from Friday Phiri.
Football is about luck, if one is not lucky he will not win the championship. Remember there was a time when Monomotapa had all the big names and the coach that time never won the championship? So it also goes with luck.
GC: Njube Sundowns' Evans Chikwaikwai was the 2008 soccer star of the year, do you think you would have chosen someone else if you were part of the panel of selectors?
GM: Well I think it was fair that way, considering he had an advantage of having also been the top goal scorer of the year. I was happy to have been part of the soccer stars, that is my highest achievement so far and I feel I worked so hard for it.
GC: I must say you really proved yourself last year. You were very central in your team's wins, especially by saving a number of crucial penalties. Tell us just how you did it, that was not by mere coincidence, was it?
GM: You see, when the referee blows the whistle, much of the player's focus will be on the ball, he raises his heard once and when he does that I will sway as if I'm to go one side and when he puts his eyes back on the ball he would have made up his mind and I will sway back to cover the other side.
I try to make them think the other side is open and when they try to place the ball there I will then dive for it. It's all about tricks; it's all about forcing the players to do what I want them to. If he falls for the trick, I win but if he doesn't, it is bad for me.
GC: Considering the short time you have had your preparations so far, how do you think bringing in new players will affect your game?
GM: It is quite a disadvantage that the league ended late last year and we had to begin our training early as well because in such a situation fatigue may be a problem. There will also be a problem if there are going to be changes from the team last year. A lot of focus will be needed from each of the players.
GC: Tapiwa Mafunga is an equally good goalkeeper the club signed from Eastern Lions. Are you not afraid of losing your regular place in the team?
GM: I know the jersey is mine, but I really have to fight for it, he is good.