after the departure of three reliable players to the reigning champions of the continental club showdown, TP Mazembe.
Monomotapa will begin the 2010 league championship campaign without the services of former captain, Mthulisi Maphosa, skilful striker Christopher “Maskiri” Samakweri and Daniel Zokoto, who were signed by the Congolese outfit for this years edition of the African Safari.
The Club secretary, David Makombe, however, refused to think that Monoz would be an injured side without the three influential players.
“Life has constant changes and we have to cope with each and every one of them,” said Makombe. “We have always discovered and nurtured young talent, while they have left us, we need to move on with those we have this year. We have always wanted to win the championship and that will be our target. We have so far signed Tawanda Munyanduri, Blessing Chimwamucheri, Osborne Mukuradari (formerly Kiglon), Tendai Ngulube (Njube Sundowns) and Kudakwashe Musharu (Underhill).”
Zokoto and Maphosa were two of the loyal long serving members of Monomotapa Football Club. They were with the team from the northern region division one football league to push for the clubs successful crusade into the top flight competition in 2005.
Together with team mates Tendai Samanja, Voster Chitema, Luckmore Simango, Godfrey Mangove and Asani Nhongo, Zokoto and Maphosa fought Monomotapas battles as their own.
Maphosa led his team with an amazing fighting spirit in the 2009 Champions League campaign, where Monoz reached the lucrative mini-league stage. His performance saw him nominated as one of the 11 finalists for the 2009 soccer star of the year awards.
Despite not retaining nomination as a soccer star finalist last year, Zokoto was an unswerving attacking midfielder during Monomotapas matches at the continental showcase.
Nicknamed “Maskiri” for his captivating skill with the ball on the field, Samakweri who joined Monoz in 2009 delivered the crowd with great entertainment even in his sides losing moments.
The 21-year-old is a marvel to watch on the football field.
But without Maskiri, who was arguably the most skilled player in the competition last season, Monomotapa will this year lack the entertaining nature the young player provided on the midfield. The former league champions will be faced with a challenge of having to find a rarely hardworking player befitting the role of a captain as much as Maphosa did and a driving force in the midfield that Zokoto threw onto the pitch.
The current group of players that went through their paces during Monomotapas training session at Alex Sports Club last week are left with a challenging task to maintain the standards Monomotapa set in the past two years.
Monoz proved a force to reckon with in the Champions League having won the local championship title ahead of highly rated clubs like Dynamos, Caps United and Highlanders.
Post published in: Football