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Lovemore Dube Senior Sports Editor
VINCENT Pamire has bounced back into football administration, a decade after he lost the Zifa hot seat to Rafik Khan.
Pamire was recently appointed president of Zimbabwe Saints’ trustees. It is a grouping of football and business people bound together by their passion for the game and love for the revival of one of the country’s once leading clubs.
He confirmed yesterday that he was back in the game. Pamire said friends had persuaded him to reconsider his ‘no return to football’ stance all in the hope of resuscitating a club that he led to some silverware two decades ago asserting it as one of the country’s best and most successful clubs.

“Once a football person, you’ll always be one. No matter where you’re, there’ll always be that thought about you being in football. The truth is I was persuaded to reconsider returning to help Chikwata from the ashes.

“There’s no Saints at all at the moment, it’s dead and buried. We’ve come together to try and resuscitate it. This will be good for Bulawayo, and it’s a wake up call to neighbours Highlanders. Once we’re there they’ll up the ante, they’d not want to play second fiddle to the giant that’s Zimbabwe Saints,” said Pamire at his city offices.

He said Saints, who folded at the beginning of the year, had drawn many lessons from years of hardships. Pamire noted that Highlanders also had similar problems that needed attending to chief among which is having home grown talent dominating the side.

“Home grown stars should form the foundation and backbone of the club. They tend to share the vision and passion with the fans and administrators because they belong here. It’s not a peculiar thing to Bulawayo teams, all over the world clubs succeed with their own home made stars with a few coming on board to add flair and strengthen the team,” he said.

Pamire said there was determination within the Saints family to get the project back on the rails. He said the first port of call is to spruce up their clubhouse at Queens Park East and ensure they are up to date with rates and other utility bills.

“We’re happy everyone is determined to see the club rise from the ashes. We’re working on plans to spruce up our home which is the Zimbabwe Saints Sports Club. We want, with the support of members and business community, to build a mini stadium with other ancillary sporting disciplines active at our clubhouse,” said Pamire.
Pamire, who still reminisces the 1980s when Chikwata won the league championship and Chibuku Trophy in addition to reaching other cup finals and a semi-final in an East and Central Africa Club Championship, believes unity of purpose is key.

“We were united and we achieved so much together. That unity is back now with all our members and supporters singing the tune of ‘let’s revive Chikwata’. It’s good and motivating to sing from the same hymn book,” said Pamire.

Saints, he said, used to produce some of the best players in the land in the past but had for a while failed to produce real gems. Pamire said they would be going to schools to tap the abundant talent in Bulawayo as they try to push their agenda of home grown talent that would appeal to city fans and the whole country.

Many clubs now believe having too many imports is counter productive as they have no club at heart. Expensively assembled clubs like FC Platinum and Highlanders have in the past failed to deliver because the players lack that cutting edge one saw in players like Madinda Ndlovu, Tito Paketh, Ephraim Chawanda, Murape Murape,

Sherperd Muradzikwa, Gibson Homela, Grey Mkandawire Ncube, Honour Gombami, Clemence Matawu, Geoffrey Ndlovu, the late Joseph Machingura, Stix M’tizwa and Kenneth Jere.

“As Saints, in the past our strength was in the identification of young talent that would grow within our system. Legends William Sibanda (late), Homela and Alick Mwanza played for the great Chikwata team of the 1960s and 1970s while schoolboys at Fletcher High School. Remember John Sibanda, Obey Sova, George Ayibu and Innocent Rwodzi came to the club when they were very young and were developed into national icons. It’s the route we’ll patiently embark on and ensure there’re results at the end. It may not be today or tomorrow but we’re eager to succeed through a process we’re getting into with patience and experience the better teacher,” said Pamire.

He acknowledged that in the past, in-house squabbles had done a lot of damage to the club. This time around, he said, unity in the drive to revive Saints had made everyone want to work as a team.

Former players, among them legend Ebson Muguyo, are part of the technical committee.
The other trustees are Felix Dzumbunu, Nobert Sebastian, Ernest Tekere, Martin Mabvira, Patrick Hokonya, Josh Hozheri, Roger Russell, Khumbula Musekiwa, Tawanda Ruzive, Never Nduru, Godfrey Mashayahanya and Wilson Babbage.

“We’re happy with the mix, these are people who have been behind the club, some of them quietly, but at some stage kept it going,” said Pamire.
During his time at Zifa, Zimbabwe won the Cosafa Castle Cup twice in 2000 and 2003 and qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations finals in Tunisia in 2004.
It is his experience, exposure and links with business and politicians that the Saints family could benefit from.

Whether Chauya Chikwata or not, time will be the best judge, Bulawayo and Zimbabwe wait to see the blue half of the city taking its rightful place in football.
“Our existence will be a wake up call to Highlanders, they’d not want to play second fiddle to us, that will be good for Bulawayo.”

Chikwata won the league title twice in 1977 and 1988. They also boast two Chibuku Trophy triumphs in 1976 beating Highlanders 4-0 and in 1988, 1-0 against the same opponents.

After Bulawayo Rovers and Highlanders, Chikwata are regarded as the next most successful club to emerge from Bulawayo.