Harare — ONE of the great things about watching SuperSport, the pay-per-view sport television channel on Multichoice's Dstv bouquet, is the creativity and originality of their advertisements - which always brings a refreshing and attractive angle to their coverage of events.

My favourite advert these days is the one in which SuperSport beat their own drum and tell the world that, when it comes to television sport coverage, they are in a class of their own.

It's the wording, rather than the graphics, from the advert that really blow me away:

There are models, then there are supermodels

There are bikes, then there are superbikes

There are stars, then there are superstars

There is diski, then there is SuperDiski

There is sport, then there is SuperSport

This advert, especially its rhythmic words, were playing in my mind last week as I flew to Johannesburg for a course for a select group of football writers that had been organised by Fifa and the European Commission.

The links to the advert were coming from the fact that the course was going to be conducted by a guy called David Legge -- a football writer who started his profession on this newspaper's Sports Desk in the '80s before becoming the Sports Editor of The Sunday Mail.

He left to settle in South Africa in the '80s, worked at the big newspapers there as a sports journalist, turned himself into an authority in football writing and is now working for Agence France Presse as the heartbeat of their African football coverage.

David, who calls himself Cde Gumbo from the flawed Shona translation of his surname Legge, is to me a symbol of excellence in football writing and I found it just right that such a distinguished member of this profession should conduct this Fifa course.

There are sports journalists, then there are super sports journalists and, in an African context, a number of names, including David Legge, immediately come to mind -- super reporters who are top of their professional tree.

Mark Gleeson belongs to that elite club and so does Emmanuel Maradas.

Our own Farai Mungazi has transformed himself into an authoritative voice of African football and, that he has managed to rise through the ranks of BBC Sport to occupy a very influential position, is a credit to his excellence.

I have always liked David Legge and I have always admired his work and his passion for the development of African football, in general, and the success of Zimbabwean football -- a bond he says was developed in the '80s when he fell in love with a team called Dynamos.

I will always call him a super journalist, because that is precisely what he is, and I was thrilled last week getting on the plane to spend a week learning from the grand old master at his base in Johannesburg.

It's always good, all the time, to go back to school, refresh the mind, share ideas with others, learn new things in a profession that is always changing, get some new regional and international contacts and, crucially, enjoy the break from the hustle and bustle of the newsroom environment.

The international courses are usually the best, given the diversity of the participants, and they also present you with the opportunity to gauge your strengths, and weaknesses, and also make a comparison of the quality of your work against what the others are producing.

The 2009 Fifa Confederations Cup, which bursts into life in Johannesburg tomorrow, and the 2010 World Cup finals, have brought a number of opportunities for football writers in this part of the world with the journalism landscape changing dramatically as the media battles to provide the best coverage.

The two major tournaments have also brought opportunities for football writers to boost their knowledge with Fifa and its partners, including the European Commission, investing heavily in courses across Africa aimed at helping the continent's journalists.

Acknowledgement From The Master

What was refreshing about the Fifa course last week was an acknowledgement from Legge that, for all the challenges that we face, the standard of sports journalism here in Zimbabwe remains very high.

Well, it was not a shock, really, given all the regional awards that have been won by guys in this country in recent years but this, coming from the grand master himself, brought a different feeling of satisfaction.

Especially in an environment where we had journalists from South Africa, Lesotho, Botswana, Namibia and Malawi and against a background of the latest questions about our integrity from our good friend in the United States.

The only refreshing thing about the latest attack is the underlying reality from our friend that, for all what he has written about his favourite punching bags, he appears to acknowledge that it has had little or no effect at all.

In other words, the message is that until we join him on his hate bandwagon, then the results that he wants would not be achieved and, this, can be taken as an acknowledgement that the real influence lies in other columns far away from the one that bears his byline.

But that is not really the point this week.

The point is the refreshing acknowledgement from a grand master like Legge that the standards of sports journalism here are still very high.

And this is not only for The Herald but everyone else in this profession here -- the guys from the Sunday Mail, represented at the course by their Sports Editor Goodwill Zunidza, the guys from the Chronicle, the guys from The Sunday News and everyone else in this job.

So, despite all the alarm bells coming from across the Atlantic, we are not a doom and gloom cult but, in contrast, we should be proud that our little nation has maintained certain high standards of sports journalism.

For that I believe everyone involved in this job here deserves a pat on the back and that includes Enock Muchinjo, Tendai Ndemera, Michael Kariati, Merit Mudziwembiri, Fanuel Viriri, Wellington Nyoni, Josh Munthali and all the others who have been working tirelessly to keep the job alive.

I also believe that instead of a weekly dosage of fights, which have little or no benefit to our readership, we should actually salute each other for playing a small part in ensuring that the standards have been maintained to a certain acceptable level.

There is a special reason why Fifa, who based their selection on both journalism standards and the strength of football in each of the countries, chose five journalists from here for their course and only one from Lesotho, one from Malawi, one from Namibia and one from Botswana.

We should find pride in the fact that, for all the challenges that we face, our little country has produced sports journalists of outstanding quality who have become global opinion markers in their chosen fields and part of the international faces of their disciplines.

We should find pride in the fact that Pommie Mbangwa, who is now the face of SuperSport when it comes to cricket coverage, was nurtured at Harare Sports Club.

We should be proud in the fact that Farai Mungazi, who has transformed himself into the guru of African football on the BBC, is a local boy who learnt his trade in the ZBC studios at Pockets Hill before taking his profession a step further.

We should find pride in the fact that Pathisani Moyo, who has his own story to tell about what happened on that flight back home from a 2008 Nations Cup qualifier we had lost in Malawi, was nurtured in the Zimbabwe Newspapers stable at The Sunday News.

He is now the Sports Editor of The Mail and Guardian in South Africa.

We should be proud that the grand old master himself, David Legge, was a local boy who used to cover Dynamos, CAPS United, Gweru United and Bata Power at Rufaro before he moved on with his career to become one of the most influential football writers on the continent.

That is what is important, what will inspire the next generation that is coming up like Grace Chingoma and Paul Munyuki, to also strive for greatness.

We have a duty to correctly advise our readership rather than mislead them, as part of a grand fight against this and that character, that Oman are not the useless side that we take them to be but a competitive one whose average ranking on the Fifa rankings is 85.

We have a duty to tell our readership that Oman were ranked 94 in January, 87 in February, 81 in March, 81 in April, 81 in May and 80 this month and records will tell us that is better than Zambia who are top of their World Cup qualifying group.

We need to tell our readership that Oman beat Senegal 2-0, drew 0-0 with 2010 World Cup finalists South Korea and lost 0-1 to African champions Egypt in international friendly matches in the last few months.

If the Koreans, semi-finalists at the 2002 World Cup finals, believe there is value in playing a friendly international against Oman and, even fail to win that game, who are we as Warriors, or columnists, to think otherwise?

If Senegal believe there is value in playing a friendly international against Oman, and end up losing that game 0-2, who are we as the Warriors, or columnists, to think otherwise?

If African champions Egypt believe there is value in playing a friendly international against Oman, which they end up winning 1-0, surely who are the Warriors to suddenly believe there is nothing that can be gained from playing such opposition?

If Zimbabwe plays Zambia in a friendly international, I bet there will be many voices saying that it's a job well done and a match that has value, and the reason for all that is we know who Chipolopolo are.

Now Zambia are ranked 90th in the world and Bahrain are ranked 70th in the world and we are supposed to join that bandwagon of criticism, when the Warriors play this Gulf nation, simply because the majority of the critics have no clue who this strange opposition is.

In this high-tech world of the Internet and, if you believe in your game like David Legge, you certainly don't need to work for the New York Times or New York Post to know who Bahrain are and the fact that they could be playing in South Africa next year.

The Untold Success Story

Yes, the Warriors have been a big disappointing story and there are question marks over the way football matters are sometimes handled at 53 Livingstone Avenue and now and again the administrators have to be reminded of their shortcomings.

But do we make that our daily bread at the expense of some marked success stories like the Premiership?

Isn't it proper to also recognise the great work that is being put into our football by a lot of dedicated people who have helped not only keep our Premiership alive but turned it into arguably the most competitive league in this part of the continent?

Isn't it proper that we should salute all the guys who are sacrificing their fortunes, in a challenging economic environment, just to make sure that our clubs continue to operate and every Sunday we can go to Rufaro and Barbourfields and enjoy a decent game?

Guys like Cuthbert Chitima, who is running Gunners on his own, and has transformed them into a competitive unit they could even win the league championship this season if they keep their focus.

Guys like Twine Phiri and Farai Jere, who have injected massive personal financial resources into keeping the CAPS United brand alive and have toiled, through a glut of challenges, to keep the team going and ensure there would be Kepekepe Bhora for its fans.

Guys like Eric Rosen and his dedicated wide Liz who are this year marking the 10th year of an unbroken association with the Premiership where they have invested millions, in United States dollars, just for the love of their Mighty Bulls.

Guys like Solomon Mugavazi and Lysias Sibanda, who started their project a long time ago when it was called Bindura United, before turning it around and building a football empire they called Monomotapa that won the league championship last year.

Guys like Musa Gwasira, Irvine Mereki and John "Fash" Chikochi who turned what was a social side called Lengthens, thanks to their financial injection, and made it a competitive Premiership franchise that the people of Dzivaresekwa are proud of.

Guys like Tawengwa Hara, Gift Banda and Isiah Shonhiwa whose money helped the people of Gwanda watch regular Premiership action.

Guys like Methembe Ndlovu and his partners who realised that rather than being armchair critics of the system, they would be more effective as active participants, and decided to invest in a Premiership franchise called Bantu Rovers.

Guys like Arthur Chitunhu and Thompson Dondo who are working tirelessly to make sure they turn Kiglon into a marketable brand.

Guys like Stan Kudenga and his partners and guys like Joel Sengeredo and his crew.

Guys like Delma Lupepe, Gijima Msindo, Joel Salifu, Ronnie Chihota, Ginger Chinguwa, Joe Musenda, Lecture Mpande, Douglas Tanyanyiwa and all the others who invested their hard-earned money into our game.

In their small part, they helped give Dynamos the competition that turned it into a strong unit good enough to reach the final of the Champions League in 1998 and the semi-finals of the same tournament last year.

In their small part, they helped keep our Premiership and Division One going -- at a time when money was hard to come by -- and, in the process, gave us something to write about and keep the journalism standards, according to David Legge, quite high.

To me these are the heroes, the untold stories that need to be highlighted rather than spending years --- and acres of space -- fighting certain agendas that could be deemed personal.

I Love The Premiership

This year's domestic Premiership race has captivated the imagination of the country and I can say that the standards have evidently been better and the competition is so stiff that noone will be surprised if Lengthens beat Dynamos tomorrow.

Our Premiership does not have a sponsor but you can't fault the commitment of the teams to provide a package that has left the fans crying out for more.

The Gunners have been brilliant, even going top of the table, and Lengthens have been the Happy People for a long time this season while even Kiglon are now good enough to beat both Motor Action and CAPS United.

The players have also responded brilliantly and Tafadzwa Rusike has taken his game to another level, playing with both style and grace, he has been the heartbeat of CAPS United's challenge for the championship.

He has simply been awesome this season, so good that those who believe in him claim that we are seeing the best naturally gifted player from this country since Peter Ndlovu, and they believe there is so much in that cultured left foot that we will see greatness soon.

Cuthbert Malajila is back in the capital, where his father Ernest Makosa was born and bred, and -- given a grand stage at Dynamos -- he has been brilliant in that attacking role for the Glamour Boys.

Tawanda Nyamandwe has found the form that convinced DeMbare that he could be a man to trust to lead their line of attack three years ago before the weight that comes with the great expectations of playing for such a big team overwhelmed him and made him look ordinary.

Norman Maroto has repackaged himself into a potent striker at Gunners, under the tutelage of a coach that he trusts a lot, and Obadiah Tarumbwa's return from an unhappy stint in Belgium coincided with a change of fortunes for Bantu Rovers.

Willard Katsande has been impressive in the Highway colours and gave as good a performance as we have seen from a midfielder this season when his team went down 0-1 to CAPS United at Rufaro.

Darryl Nyandoro does not score many goals but there is no questioning his talent and the goal that he struck, in the 1-1 draw against Dynamos, was a wonder strike of the highest possible quality.

And, Oh, boy, Leonard Tsipa is back home, Thomas Sweswe is playing with such authority even Kaizer Chiefs now want him, Hwange are competitive and even Underhill have found their form they are no longer the whipping boys.

The crowds are improving with each passing week, there is good colour in the stands, there is life everywhere, there is belief in the Dynamos ranks that this could be their year again and there is belief in the CAPS United ranks that this could be their championship.

The battle is on and such is the intensity of the fight that even today at Rufaro, you will find a section of fans on the Vietnam Stand backing the cause of a team that is bankrolled by pharmaceutical giant CAPS and comes in the form of Shooting Stars.

Why?

Because their opponents today are CAPS United -- the team that the Dynamos fans really believe pose the greatest threat to their championship hopes.

To me, these are the real stories.

The Gospel According To Bobby

Bobby Motaung, the Kaizer Chiefs' team manager, was at Rufaro recently and watched the drawn match between Monomotapa and Dynamos.

His impression about our football told the whole story.

"The style of football here is not as bad as some people have been made to believe," he said.

"The supporters were also wonderful and it's unlike what we have in South Africa. Chiefs, Pirates and Celtics are the only teams that really bring in the crowds.

"Football brings people together and there was so much vibe from the grandstands and standards in both matches that we saw today lived up to expectations.

"Tinashe (Nengomasha) and Onismor (Bhasera) are showing that they come from a good culture. That's why we are here to see if we can get such players who have the dedication, commitment and tactical discipline.

"I think there will be more games between South African and Zimbabwean clubs. I think things are changing for the better with more stability here and an improvement in the economy and next year, before the World Cup, we would like to come here for some game or have Zimbabwean teams in South Africa," said Motaung.

It's Not All Doom And Gloom

The key part of Motaung's statement was the first one: "The style of football here is not as bad as people have been made to believe."

To me that is what matters, the untold story of the success of our domestic game, where Dynamos can defy the odds and qualify for the semi-finals and Monomotapa can make it into the group stages of the Champions League on their first attempt.

The untold feel-good story of the thousands of fans who make the trips to Rufaro, Barbourfields and Sakubva every week knowing that there will be something at the stadium to cheer their spirits.

The feel-good story of a Premiership without a sponsor producing a team that is making it into the mini-league of the Champions League and, in the process, beating rich clubs like Ajax Cape Town and ASEC Mimosas.

The feel-good story of a coach like Rodwell Dhlakama, who was only coaching a Division Two club two years ago, finally letting his tactics pay dividends against the continental heavyweights and leading Monos to glory.

The feel-good story of a coach like Elvis Chiweshe, who was almost buried in the dumpsite, writing his fairy-tale comeback with a seven-match unbeaten run at the helm of Dynamos and giving the millions of this team's fans reason to believe.

The feel-good story of a coach like Lloyd Chitembwe, fired at little Kiglon because the directors felt he was not good enough, turning around the fortunes of his beloved CAPS United and nurturing Rusike into an explosive dynamo.

The feel-good story of the fact that we have football that we can watch, week in and week out, and knowing that despite the shortcomings of the Warriors, and everyone associated with them -- past and present -- there are some refreshing stories in his game in our country.

The feel-good story that, after we have left the football fields and retired to our homes, we still have a beautiful country to take care of and a place that we call home that we are very proud to live in.

The feel-good story that even World Cup legends like the Polish Destroyer -- Grzegorz Lato -- are now coming here, spending time at the Victoria Falls and telling the globe that we have a truly wonderful country.

Farewell Cristiano Ronaldo

Go well my superstar. You are the greatest Manchester United star that I have ever known. Those goals, that pace, the free-kicks, the step-overs, that charming face. You were everything I wanted to see in a footballer and I was lucky you played for my team.

There is a time to come and there is a time to go and, sadly, your time to go has come. But there will never be another Cristiano Ronaldo and Ferguson can get 200 million pounds but he will never get a genius like you.

I will miss you boy and thanks for the memories -- three straight league championships, the Champions League crown and everything that you did.

To me, you were the greatest. Better than Charlton, better than Best and better than Cantona. Manchester United, as I have known it in the last five years, will never be the same again.