End of the road for Chinowawa

Sport
CASTLE Lager Premier Soccer league side Buffaloes have parted ways with one of their most loyal sons, Dananai Chinowawa.

CASTLE Lager Premier Soccer league side Buffaloes have parted ways with one of their most loyal sons, Dananai Chinowawa.

KENNETH NYANGANI OWN CORRESPONDANT

Chinowawa (35) has been the Premiership’s longest serving member. The committed player helped the army side regain promotion back into the top-flight league in 2011 as well as finishing at a respectable position last year.

Chinowawa is one veteran player who has seen it all after making a breakthrough into Premiership 19 years ago with the now defunct Tanganda at the age of 16.

Early into his football career, Chinowawa played with likes of Stewart Murisa, Alois Bunjira, Collins Kabote, Lylod Mutasa, Kalisto Pasuwa, but he had survived the bumpy road.

With all the experience, Chinowawa wore the captain’s armband last year and helped the soldiers to a respectable sixth position finish on the log standings. He was eventually voted the army side’s most loyal player and Player of the Year at the club’s awards ceremony.

Indications are that Chinowawa, a dead ball specialist, is set to roped into the Buffaloes coaching department. Buffaloes spokesperson Tendai Chitowa was not reachable for comment on Friday, but sources said the utility player was offloaded because of age.

“Dananai was offloaded. The issue of age was the major problem. He is no longer the same player we used to know,” the source said.

“He still remains a vital cog in the team as he provides the much needed inspiration to the team and is still part of the team,” the source added.

In an interview with Standardsport after the 2012 season, Chinowawa said his passion for the game kept him going. “My passion for the game is keeping me going. I play the game to satisfy myself, my coaches and for the fans.

My debut game was against Mhangura when we won 3-2 away in 1994 and it was a good game for me and it will go down as my best game ever,” Chinowawa was quoted as saying last year.