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FORMER Zimbabwe Saints goalkeeper Pernell McKop recently posted a picture of his former team that had a screaming headline “1988 Champions” on his Facebook page.There were quite a number of comments to the posting all pointing to the fact that many a people loved this team and many more would love the team to bounce back into top flight football.

When I shared his posting on my Facebook wall, a number of responses in praise of this team were to follow. I then made my own comment saying “Chikwata will bounce back stronger soon”. Again this raised a lot of debate with some agreeing with it while a good number suggested that the team was as good as dead and buried.

I still believe that this great team will come back one day. It might not be now but it will. I got to know about Saints when I was pupil at Mhali Primary School in Magwegwe.

A certain Brian Khumalo was the only boy in our class who knew the Saints team through and through, yet he was just in Grade 1. His father was probably the number one Saints fan.

He would cycle from Magwegwe to Barbourfields to watch Zimbabwe Saints regardless of who Saints were playing, he would use the Soweto end to enter the stadium.

He would then move from the Soweto end right round to Empakweni, then to the Mpilo end ringing his bell, just on his own and screaming “Chikwata” or Super Saints. Umdala Khumalo simply loved Saints.

Back in Magwegwe, each time he returned from work he used to cycle through one of our soccer fields and we would all shout at him “Chikwata” and he would respond “Super Saints” while hooting his bicycle.

Iremember one Monday after Chikwata had lost to Rio Tinto in Kadoma in a league match 10-nil. I suggested to my colleagues that today instead of shouting “Chikwata” to Khumalo, our chorus should be 10-zero.

We chanted our new chorus and Khumalo was furious. He chased us while riding on his bicycle. We survived by hiding by the congested houses. It was to be the story for the whole week. Such was the passion that Khumalo had for Saints.

A board of trustees led by former chairman at the club and former Zifa vice president Vincent Pamire is working on reviving Saints, saying it will start the ball rolling in Division Two.

This is a welcome development for the Saints family. The board that seems to have dissolved the executive led by former great Gibson Homela also includes Felix Dzumbunu, who at one stage sponsored the team, Winston Babbage, Tawanda Ruzive, Never Nduru, former secretary Martin Mabvira, former physical trainer at the club Roger Russell, Charles Chiponda, Godfrey Mashayanhaya, Musekiwa Kumbula and Norbert Sebastian.

In the last board meeting Pamire indicated that Homela was set to travel to Harare to meet more of the Chikwata followers.

What touched me was the appointment of a former player and coach Ebson Muguyo to be part of the board.

This was good given that most if not all of our executives and boards on the local football scene tend to ignore former players and coaches. It is important for any genuine football board to have a member with the technical know-how of the game.

In as much as I respect most of the members of this board of trustees having worked with them in one way or another in life, I still feel they need to expand in terms of involving more people with “Chikwata” at heart to be part of this revival.

Pernell is an example. I have followed his postings on his former team; he still has a certain passion.

He is currently involved in goalkeepers coaching in South Africa and can make one or two contributions even from down south in terms of coaching material for the goalkeepers.

Besides, Saints has always produced good goal minders namely John Sibanda, Muzondiwa Mugadza, Earnmore Hamandishe (he got Flame Lily promoted into the PSL by the way) just to mention a few.

Henry McKop, a top striker at the club turned into a left back in the Warrior’s setup with the Dream Team is another of the football brains that Chikwata can engage.

Mugadza and Matambanashe Sibanda are now based in the UK. They are Saints products and I’m sure they have learnt one or two important life skills to contribute to the “Chikwata family”

Eddie Mukahanana is a young coach based in Canada and involved in junior football. There is no doubt that he still has a soft spot for Chikwata.

The former St Columba’s High School student can also be engaged in terms of setting up a proper juniors training programme for Zimbabwe Saints, as the revival will hinge on a robust junior policy, something that Saints thrived on.

I know I left out many more sons of Super Saints. That includes a number of my brothers in different sectors of the industry that I always meet and chat with.

They loved Saints and you get the feeling that they still love their team. The problem is they are keeping away from the team; something that killed Saints coupled with the leadership squabbles at the club.

I hope they will all go and revive their membership and revive the sports club, in the process reviving Zimbabwe Saints.

Pamire and his team need to identify and engage all of the Saints sons if Super Saints is to walk tall again. It’s possible.

Chauya Chikwata!!!

Mina Zwi!!!

Muzi Hadebe is a sportscaster with Zimpapers’ StarFM. For feedback: [email protected]