JOEL “ Head Master ”  Shambo

JOEL “ Head Master ”  Shambo

By Lovemore Dube

JOEL Shambo, one of Zimbabwe’s best football midfielders, played with so much ease as if the game was designed for him.

He was nicknamed Headmaster because he used overshadow other talented linkmen of his era leaving many looking like rank amateurs.

He was too good for the local game and deservingly win almost every medal local football had to offer. Stylish, intelligent and hardworking, Shambo was the darling of crowds all over the country.

Many youngsters who played street football between 1979 and mid 1990s called themselves Shambo, Headmaster or Jubilee his other nickname as they tried hard to do some of his tricks.

While they laboured, for Shambo it come naturally, he did not need to rehearse several times his routines as all was in him.

Born and bred in Harare’s western suburbs of Mufakose on 27 July 1960, he appeared to have made his break at the right time.

It was on the eve of Independence when he was introduced to the grand stage with Stix Mtizwa and Stanley Ndunduma together with Shaky Tauro who already was a household name and national team striker in 1979.

Shambo was part of the Caps Rovers midfield and  under Obediah Sarupinda and Ashton Nyazika they won the just introduced North Region of the national league title.

As if that was not enough the club that later changed to Caps United, won the national league play off with a victory over Zimbabwe Saints.

But they had made a statement in mid year by qualifying for the Chibuku Trophy final with a 2-0 win over Plumtree side Black Horrors.

In the final Caps clashed with one of the best Zimbabwe Saints side and win the trophy after a replay in which the quartet announced their arrival with a bang.

National selectors for the Castle Lager selected Shambo, Ndunduma, Mtizwa and Tauro.

At Independence Shambo found himself wanted by all three national teams, the Under-20, Olympic side and the senior national team as he was a creative hub any coach would break a bank door to have in his side.

With a new Zimbabwe ushering in a new national league, Caps proved they were men by winning the Rothmans Shield 8-1 on aggregate over Highlanders and the Castle Cup which they claimmed on four consecutive seasons to be named Cup Kings.

For a decade Shambo was always among the country’s top 11 players and in every national coach’s top list.

In the Olympic team he was with Shaky Nyathi, Stix Mtizwa, Stanley Ndunduma, Peter Nkomo and Tapiwa Mudyambanje.

With the likes of Rodrick Simwanza, Wonder Phiri, Tymon Mabaleka, William Sibanda, Kuda Muchemeyi and Max Tshuma aging, Shambo represented hope for the future with a young generation of superstars from Caps, Zimbabwe Saints, Dynamos, Arcadia, Bulawayo Wanderers, Rio Tinto, Zisco, Wankie and Highlanders.

He could play as a Number 6 or 8 with equal effect.

He partnered the likes of Tshuma, Mtizwa, Mwanza, Tauro, Ndunduma, Madinda, Joseph Zulu, Henry Mckop, Charles Chirwa, Gift Mpariwa and Moses Chunga in the national team’s attack.

When Mtizwa, Ndunduma and other stars moved to Black Rhinos in 1983, he chose to stay loyal to United who had also given him a job at the pharmaceutical giant at Manchester Road in Harare’s industrial area.

He guided Zimbabwe to several semi-final finishes in the Cecafa Cup but was on hand to get a winners medal on home soil in 1985 after Zimvabwe after goals by Mpariwa and Tauro gave Zimbabwe a 2-0 win over Kenya in the final.

Shambo’s midfield genius provided stuff for folklore stories for generations to come as he often proved his worth against the likes of Willard Khumalo, Archieford Chikutanda, Tito Paketh, Stanley Mutasa, Clayton Munemo, David Mandigora, Stanford Ntini, Hamid Dhana, Kenneth Jere, Ernest Makosa and Sherperd Muradzikwa.

Shambo was forced to quit the game in his early 30s and went into coaching and had roles as Caps United and sensational Blackpool.

Shambo died on 1 May 2000.

Many football fans will always remember how successive national coaches saw light and selected Shambo and players like Tauro, Mtizwa and Ndunduma whom he had a telepathic combination to be the foundation of the Warriors.

Shambo was a great freekick taker and in most instances caught opposition lined unaware by striking when they were still arranging the wall.