… dreams of coaching Zimbabwe national team
By Perpetua Murungweni
Many years ago, he would bribe his way into the senior soccer team in primary school, or ask his mother, a vendor, then to give someone half a loaf of bread for him to be allowed to play, retired soccer star Willard Katsande always dreamt of seeing his picture on a magazine as a professional footballer.
He says he always wondered what it would take for him to be in one of the Parade magazine pages one day, but one thing he was sure of was that he had to do things differently, controlling what he could, that is working hard and training even harder.
Katsande, who recently sat down for an exclusive interview with TellZim News, where he opened up about his early life, career and football journey said football was the game that gave him more than he had ever dreamt of.
Nicknamed ‘Salt and Vinegar’, 39-year-old Katsande was born in Mutoko and grew up in Mutare where his love for the game was born, and has been growing until he retired from the pitch at South African Premier Soccer League side Kaizer Chiefs.
“I started playing football when I was in primary at Dangare Primary School and joined the school’s senior team in 1995 after which I went to Sakubva 2 High. I then joined division 2 with a club called Frontiers Steel.
“I joined this club because my mom had relocated to Mutoko and my sister got impregnated by someone who refused to take responsibility for the child, so I had to play some money to buy soap for the child’s nappies, because back then, there were no diapers.
“I played with older people in local clubs so that I could get money to help my sister raise her child. From there I went to division one where I joined Highway Club after which I decided to go to Harare to advance my career and joined Gunners FC,” Katsande said.
The former Zimbabwe National Team captain did not have it easy from the start, as his father had passed on when he was nine, but had planted a seed for his love for football when he named him after legendary striker Willard Khumalo.
“I was nine and my mother was only a vendor, and at some point she had to relocate to our rural home in Mutoko so life was hard. Even if I wanted to continue with education, I had no one to pay for the fees, but I knew I had talent for football, hence I pursued it,” Katsande said.
He said he took a bold step when he went to Harare to test new waters as he was becoming more of a benchwarmer at the local club.
“In 2009 I got a chance to play in the national team when Sunday Chidzambwa saw me playing for Highway and included me in the team. I then got a chance to travel to Asia for the first time—from a village boy who had been a bench warmer for quite some time I found myself in Asia,” said Katsande.
Katsande’s career took a turn when he joined Kaizer Chiefs on August 15, 2011 after the Kaizer Chiefs Manager, Bobby Motaung spotted his talent at a friendly match between Zimbabwe and Zambia, at a time he was about to be let go by SA side, Ajax FC.
“I was about to be offloaded by Ajax when Motaung scouted me on my way to the airport and told me he wanted me at Chiefs. That was a big turn for me, and fastforward, I started being a favorite at kaizer Chiefs until I retired.
He said his biggest achievement was playing for the national team and making a name for himself at Kaizer Chiefs.
“Playing for the national team is one of my biggest achievements. When I left Zimbabwe I was nobody but playing for a great team like Kaizer Chiefs was a great accomplishment. I went there as a nobody and left as a somebody. I have a record of playing 349 games for Kaizer Chiefs and I am proud of the blueprint that I have made in football.
Even after retirement Katsande continues to inspire young people who are following his footsteps through sharing his struggles and successes.
“I want to continue inspiring and encouraging those who are pursuing their football career through sharing my story and interacting with them. I’m here in Masvingo for a local football match between my academy, Kitoko and the Brighter Days Academy, a local football club in Mashava where I will have a chance to interact and encourage the upcoming footballers in Mashava,” said Katsande.
Despite the fact that Katsande spend most of his career playing outside Zimbabwe he said he wants to give back to the Zimbabwean football through sharing his football knowledge to the upcoming footballers by becoming national team coach.
“I’m working towards becoming the national coach, I want to coach the Zimbabwean football team because I feel like owe my country my knowledge of football and I feel like I have to give back what I have in terms of skills to those upcoming footballers in my country,” said Katsande.
During his eight years with Kaizer Chiefs, he established himself as a dominant force in the midfield, earning numerous accolades, including PSL’s Midfielder of the Season award.
