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Peter Ndlovu: the betrayal of a hero
THE
boo-boys returned to Zimbabwean football last Sunday to spew their acidic
bile on Zimbabwean soccer captain Peter Ndlovu.
His only crime: Playing for Zimbabwe.
Peter Ndlovu has dedicated a life to serving Zimbabwe. From the heady days of Reinhard Fabisch, Ndlovu has been a football ambassador for the country. On more than one occasion, he has sacrificed his personal savings to travel to Zimbabwe or help out when the Zimbabwe Football Association was on self-destruct mode.
When it seemed wiser to stay in England and cement his position in various clubs he played for instead of participating in Leo Mugabe's charade at Zifa, Ndlovu was summoned by the call of duty and he never disappointed.
Whereas Loman Lua Lua or Benni McCarthy in the DRC and South Africa respectively have absconded from national duty preferring to stay and play for their teams, Ndlovu has been a willing servant, turning himself in despite the career hazards of playing for little or no reward.
Ndlovu's unstinting loyalty was rewarded when he was made Zimbabwe captain. He went on to become the first ever Zimbabwean soccer captain to lead the country to the Africa Nations Cup. At the conclusion of Sunday's clash against Rwanda, he stood as the first Zimbabwean soccer skipper to lead the country to consecutive Africa Nations Cup finals.
In the flood of joyous celebrations that engulfed the National Sports Stadium, it was easy to spot the flotsam and jetsam of Zimbabwean football that arrogantly ignore the fact that it is Peter Ndlovu's long standing commitment and contribution that has placed the country on that tidal wave.
They want Zimbabweans to believe that we could still have achieved the dream without Ndlovu. They want Zimbabweans to throw stones at arguably the country's greatest footballer next to Bruce Grobbelaar. They want to bribe history and append reality while airbrushing Peter Ndlovu out in order to erect mental statues of those they think made the best contribution to Zimbabwean football.
For long periods, a nation's expectations rested on the shoulders of one man -- Peter Ndlovu. Forget the second and third-rate coaches who have been in and out of the Warriors' coaching set-up. None have lived through the chaos of Leo Mugabe's administration to the relative calm of Rafiq Khan's administration. Peter Ndlovu has survived it all, simply because he was driven by a pure, unlimited desire to serve his country which had for over two decades failed to make any meaningful progress in international football.
While Peter battles with his mental faculties in the wake of the distasteful boos that accompanied his substitution last Sunday, he can rest in the comfort that he was and is a true Warrior, a battler and super patriot who steered a sinking ship to safety. What the passengers on the ship do when they touch safe ground is only their problem.
LATEST LOG
GROUP FOUR
[The
draw also acts as qualifying for the 2006 African Nations Cup. The winner
of each group will compete in the 2006 World Cup, while the top three
in each group qualify for the 2006 Nations Cup]
| TEAM | P |
W |
D |
L |
GF |
GA |
PTS |
|
| 1 | Angola | 9 |
5 |
3 |
1 |
11 |
6 |
18 |
| 2 | Nigeria | 9 |
5 |
3 |
1 |
16 |
6 |
18 |
| 3 | Zimbabwe | 9 |
4 |
3 |
2 |
12 |
9 |
15 |
| 4 | Gabon | 9 |
2 |
3 |
4 |
11 |
13 |
9 |
| 5 | Algeria | 9 |
1 |
4 |
4 |
8 |
15 |
7 |
| 6 | Rwanda | 9 |
1 |
2 |
6 |
6 |
15 |
5 |
Fixtures: 2004
June 5: Nigeria 2-0 Rwanda; Gabon 1-1 Zimbabwe; Algeria 0-0 Angola
June 19: Rwanda
3-1 Gabon
June 20: Zimbabwe 1-1 Algeria; Angola 1-0 Nigeria
July 3: Nigeria 1-0 Algeria; Gabon 2-2 Angola; Rwanda 0-2 Zimbabwe
September 5: Algeria 0-3 Gabon; Zimbabwe 0-3 Nigeria; Angola 1-0 Rwanda
October 9: Gabon
1-1 Nigeria; Rwanda 1-1 Algeria
October 10:Angola 1-0 Zimbabwe
2005
March 26: Nigeria
2-0 Gabon
March 27: Zimbabwe 2-0 Angola; Algeria 1-0 Rwanda
June 5: Zimbabwe 1-0 Gabon; Angola 2-1 Algeria; Rwanda 1-1 Nigeria
June 18: Nigeria
1-1 Angola; Gabon 3-0 Rwanda
June 19: Algeria 2-2 Zimbabwe
September 4: Algeria
2-5 Nigeria
September 4: Zimbabwe 3-1 Rwanda; Angola 3-0 Gabon
October 8: Nigeria
v Zimbabwe; Gabon v Algeria
October 9: Rwanda v Angola
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