IF you are an Arsenal fan, then it must certainly have been a very painful week losing the battle to keep Cesc Fabregas at the Emirates and the mocking that has followed the small part he played in helping Barcelona win the Spanish Super Cup on Wednesday night.
Well, in case you missed it, the big joke is that it took Fabregas just 10 minutes, the time he was on the pitch at the Camp Nou after appearing as a substitute, to win a trophy at Barca, something he had failed to do in the last six years at the Gunners.
I'm not a Gunner, never was and never will, and given the way they eclipsed Liverpool to become the ultimate enemy in the '90s, and after the turn of the millennium, it is natural that their spectacular fall from grace should cheer the spirits.
But there comes a time, even when it's happening to your biggest rival, when you can't help but sympathise with them and, for me, the defining moment came in the 76th minute of Arsenal's Premiership opener against Newcastle United at St James Park on Saturday.
When Gervinho went down inside the Newcastle penalty area, in the 76th minute of that encounter, it was clear to me that there had been contact, no matter how minimal, with the defensive Cheik Tiote, himself not a saint when it comes to the way that he plunges into his tackles.
From my vantage point in my living room, and thanks to the benefit of television replays, it was clear, as white is distinctly different from black, that this was a stonewall penalty and Gervinho had certainly been clipped in the box.
The referee, in a decision that was as strange as it was diabolical, decided to ignore the incident and at that moment, given my anti-Gunners' stance, I embraced our good luck and, together with the massed Geordies inside St. James Park, thanked the heavens for that big let-off.
What followed was what hurt me badly, both as an African and as a human being.
For Joey Barton, that sick white boy of English football, to take matters into his hands, drag Gervinho by his shirt from the ground as if he was a wayward cat that had knocked over the milk jug, and humiliate him in a manner that was both racist and barbaric, was simply unacceptable.
At that defining moment, football lost its meaning and, as I looked back at why the white referee had turned down Gervinho's appeal for a penalty, I could not resist being tempted to think it all was part of a grand scheme that was still linked to that day when the Gunners came to St James Park last season and a crazy game ended 4-4.
Crucially, in that game, Arsenal's black midfielder Abou Diaby pushed Barton to the ground, in a foolish reaction to a foul, and was sent off, turning the tide for his side who then surrendered a 4-0 lead to draw 4-4 with Tiote, ironically, scoring the last-gasp equaliser.
So when Alex Song, a black Gunners' midfielder, foolishly lost his cool and stamped Barton - the common denominator in all this in an off-the-ball incident that was missed by the match officials, somebody had to pay and Gervinho, unfortunately, paid the price.
As Gervinho left the pitch and Barton escaped with a yellow card, I lost my anti-Gunners' passion as the unfairness of a world, which remains distinctly racist, took over my emotions and, for once, found myself in Arsene Wenger's corner.
Yes, Gervinho was wrong to raise his hand, which he should never do, but isn't this the same Barton who served a six-month jail term for assault and affray after being captured on CCTV in Liverpool on December 27 2007 punching one man 20 times in an attack after a beer drinking binge?
The same Barton who drank 10 pints and five bottles of lager that night before teaming up with his brother Andrew, cousin Nadine and friends, on a Boxing Day night out in Liverpool city centre, to savagely attack their victims?
The same Barton who was sent home from a Manchester City pre-season tour of Thailand in disgrace in July 2005, after repeatedly punching a 15-year-old Everton fan who had provoked him, and only stopped from raining his vicious punches following the intervention of teammate Richard Dunne?
The same Barton who poked a lighted cigar into the eye of his young teammate Jamie Tandy, the midfielder who never realised his potential and later blamed his battles against alcoholism and drug abuse to that incident?
It's hard not to see the racial link to that attack on Gervinho, especially coming from Joseph Anthony Barton, whose brother Michael was sentenced to life in prison for his involvement in the racially motivated murder of black teenager Anthony Walker in 2005.
Especially if it's the same Barton who was slapped with a suspended four-month jail sentence, in July 2008, after pleading guilty to assaulting, causing bodily harm, black teammate Ousmane Dabo during a training ground incident, which effectively ended his time at Manchester City.
In a weekend when Tottenham had failed to play their opening match in London because of riots, which engulfed England, sparked by the fatal shooting of a black man by the police, which some blamed on racism, it was hard to understand Barton's madness.
Racism, Sponsors and Football Fans
Racism exists big time in world football and, as long as the game continues to have the Joey Bartons of our planet, it's certain that no matter how much the authorities try, the cancer will keep stalking the globe's most beautiful game.
There are a lot of my colleagues who believe that Manchester United, is a symbol of racism and they have serious issues about Alex Ferguson's reluctance to sign African players, his treatment of Andy Cole and Dwight Yorke and why United is always pre-dominantly white.
These guys can't understand how a person like me, given his strong opposition to racism, can be seen supporting religiously a team like Manchester United that represents, in their eyes, the greatness of whiteness - from its manager, its capital based in the United States and its backers backed across the world.
Incredibly, the same people find comfort in supporting Barcelona, for all the racism that goes on in the Catalan heartland, and all the nonsense that pushed Samuel Eto'o out of the system and all the madness that saw people painting their faces in black colour to mock black Formula One driver Lewis Hamilton in the Spanish Grand Prix in Catalunya.
I argue that Ferguson's first signing, on his arrival at Old Trafford, was a black fullback, Viv Anderson, who not only became the last player to move directly from Arsenal to United or vice-versa, but also became the first black footballer to play for England.
Twice, Viv won the European Cup with Nottingham Forest.
Read Viv's book, First Among Equals, and you get to understand the racists in English football who threw bananas, apples and pears at him but, as you read on, you won't see him accusing Fergie or United of racism but, rather, of a drinking culture prevalent then.
Racism exists big time in Zimbabwe football and, if you look at the national sport, it's all a black thing - no white players, no white coaches, no white managers, no white team doctors, no white physiotherapists, no white supporters for Dynamos, CAPS United or Highlanders.
Yes, the Premiership doesn't pay enough for some whites to plunge into the trenches but then does it also mean they don't have a heart for the local football teams?
There are no white sponsors in Zimbabwe football - whether it's the Warriors, Mighty Warriors, Dynamos (when they reached the final of the Champions League), the Young Warriors on the occasions they have dominated the Cosafa Championships and even the Premiership, which is good enough to get two slots in African inter-club competitions.
The only two white men actively involved in Zimbabwean football today are both expatriates - Klaus Pagels, a German nation seconded by his Government who has done wonders for our game in the background, and Swiss coach Marc Duvillard who has transformed the Aces Youth Academy into a thriving unit.
To the white Zimbabweans, domestic football is a black man's game and Rufaro is a no-go area and, while a few can be seen now and then when there is a big Warriors' game at the National Sports Stadium, it's the absence of others rather than the presence of the tiny minority that catches the eye.
So maybe it's taboo for the Mighty Warriors, in their moment of triumph in the Cosafa Women Championships, to be invited to a dinner at Sam Levy's Village by the owners of the complex because their success was essentially a black girl's victory story that has nothing to do with that part of our capital city.
Neither will we ever see Billy Rautenbach, for all his passion for sport which has helped his son Conrad turn into a star in his chosen field, give a helping financial hand to the perennially broke Zifa to help boost morale for the Warriors ahead of the game against Liberia.
Will we ever see a day when John Moxon will call a media conference and say that he is pouring US$1 million into the coffers of junior football development in Zimbabwe as a way of thanking all the black masses, whose kids predominantly play this game, for supporting TM Supermarkets all these years?
Nicholas van Hoogstraten has been in the news lately, from Hwange to RTG, and I have always wondered about the day I would wake up to hear that he has donated a small chunk of his fortune to something that has to do with our football, you know, just for that little helping hand.
Imagine all the big business in Zimbabwe, especially the white companies, and the differences they could make if they played a very small part in helping the national game - from the Warriors, the
Mighty Warriors right down to the juniors and, along the way, clubs like Dynamos, CAPS United, Highlanders and Shooting Stars.
The point remains that business, in a Zimbabwean perspective, is driven by the black people - either as the workers in the companies or the consumers of the products that fast-track the profits that we have been seeing and, for the majority of these people, football is a way of life.
Is it really bad, then, for a small chunk of the profits to be channeled back into this special game that means so much to them so that their children can be helped, at a very young age, to be groomed by specialist personnel, to one day become as good as Didier Drogba?
Others will say domestic football has a very big credibility problem, with all the problems that have plagued it, but then the same could be said of Fifa but still white capital continues to drive the world football governing body.
And white capital is changing the face of the Football Association of Zambia, and for all the administrative challenges it has faced in recent months, you can now see the Mpila football show live on SuperSport.
MTN now sponsors the Zambian Premiership, helping the clubs across the Zambezi to be self-sufficient through grants that come here and there, and suddenly the only Zambian we have in the local Premiership is Hwange coach Tennant Chilumba when, six years ago, we had almost 20 players from that country in our league.
Even when the FAZ leaders rebelled against Kalusha Bwalya, a split that spilled into the Fifa corridors, the money kept coming into their coffers while here, it's the usual excuse that put your house in order even when Fifa's house isn't in order.
Tribalism, Football Fans And The Beautiful Game
Football has always battled against racism and tribalism and Barcelona, for all its pretty picture as a global brand, is in reality a tribal club that, first and foremost, serves the interests of the people of Catalunya.
Manchester United can have this pretty image as a global brand but it is in essence a tribal entity, started by the Mancunians, and listen to their songs very closely and you will hear the tribal contents.
Virtually every English club is a tribal outfit and we see such patterns here in Zimbabwe as well as across the African continent.
If we take a good look in the mirror, without lying to our conscience, we can also see where we all fit in, as football fans in this country, in this global web of tribalism and its related ills.
It's a sensitive issue, without a doubt, but our challenges in trying to build a better tomorrow can only be confronted if we face them rather than when we try to run away from them.
So Where Should The Warriors Play?
At least, we are lucky to live in the capital that we know the 2012 Nations Cup qualifier against Liberia will be played in this city with the only remaining issue being the identity of the venue the National Sports Stadium or Rufaro.
All the three 2010 Nations Cup qualifiers were played at Rufaro and two of the three qualifiers for the 2008 Nations Cup finals were also at Rufaro with only the dead rubber, after we had bowed out of the tournament, being shifted to Bulawayo.
All the qualifiers for the 2004 and 2006 Nations Cup finals, both successful campaigns for the Warriors, were also in Harare.
You can only feel for the football fans in the City of Kings who also want a share of the action, especially when their nation is in action, and while they have had just one dead rubber in the past decade, we can have the luxury of a choice of venue.
The football leadership, just like their counterparts across the Limpopo, have to find ways of moving the Warriors around and taking a game to Bulawayo will certainly be a good idea one day because it helps in the bonding between the players and their fans around the country.
The Warriors are a national brand and they cannot remain localised to give an impression that they are a Harare brand because, when that national anthem is sung, it is representative of everyone who calls himself a Zimbabwean.
The last Nations Cup qualifier at Rufaro, against the Eagles of Mali, attracted a full-house and thousands more fans were turned away and rough estimates have indicated that we could have had more than 65 000 fans that day, if we had the space.
It was a nightmare for security personnel and a gate was broken on one side of the stadium as restless fans tried to break their way into the ground.
What emerged from all that was that Rufaro was, on that day, too small for the Warriors. But Rufaro, unlike the National Sports Stadium, has a convenient location, which enables thousands of fans just to walk, either from their homes in Mbare or Sunningdale or from the city centre, and that makes the ground attractive to a lot of low income earners.
The giant stadium, in contrast, is isolated and its catchment area is certainly not known to be a football supporting hub and, while it provides the space to accommodate more people, it turns away thousands of others who can't undertake the expensive venture of going there to watch a match.
Rufaro guarantees the passion from the fans, which the players can feel and which they can use to take their performance to another level and we saw all that in the last match against Mali as the game staggered towards the end and the crowd went behind their team.
Rufaro also provides the hostility of the away atmosphere, something which the opposition feels from the moment they walk onto the pitch, and this has the effect of unnerving them and they usually don't play to their usual standards.
The old ground also provides the artificial surface, which serves as an advantage when the opposition isn't used to playing on that surface, and we saw it with the Malians when they struggled for the better part of the first half.
The National Sports Stadium offers security for the fans, and also better revenue for the association because more fans are likely to come and watch the game, but it's also a ground where the players feel so isolated from the supporters.
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They can't hear all that noise and, given that we are conservative in the way we support our teams, even the opposition ends up feeling so much at home in that giant stadium and Cape Verde can testify to this.
So where we play against Liberia?
If it has to be my decision, then I would say let's play at dear old Rufaro, with 40 000 screaming fans, let's make the Liberians feel very much away from home, and let's make full use of the artificial surface and our 12th man, the fans.
Yeah, there are concerns about security at Rufaro but if the tickets are pre-sold and fans are asked to come to the ground at the right time, rather than everyone coming at 2pm, then we can eliminate the organizational nightmare.
The Return Of Chitembwe And Pasuwa's Graduation
It felt really good to see Lloyd Chitembwe back on the bench, at his beloved CAPS United, and I was one of the privileged witnesses to his homecoming at Gwanzura.
He is a good coach and you can't really say he failed in his first spell, when he took CAPS United to the final of the BancABC Sup8r Cup, and was kicked out just before the final.
He has always loved Makepekepe, having won three league titles with the club to become the most decorated player ever at the Green Machine - better than Shacky Tauro, better than Joel Shambo, better than Stanford Mtizwa.
I just hope the CAPS United fans can give him time to build his team in his fashion and, even if he fails to bring all three points from the Colliery, just pile the support behind him.
Callisto Pasuwa also made the graduation to a head coach and he started with a bang after leading Dynamos to a 4-1 win over Shooting Stars.
Good start but that's what Lloyd Mutasa did exactly in his first competitive match when he led Dynamos to a 4-1 win over MC Alger in a Champions League tie.
We all felt he was the Messiah before it all started going downhill.
But Pasuwa knows that there are things that define what is Dynamos and one of them is the team's way of starting a game by praying across the goalline.
It's their identity as a team and it's good that Pasuwa has restored that and, if you check, you will find that even TP Mazembe have copied that and are now praying across the goalline before matches.
A Man Called Takaendesa Jongwe
It has been all tough going for Maxwell Takaendesa Jongwe who found the responsibility that comes with coaching CAPS United just a touch too tough a mission and left without winning a game.
He has suddenly become the subject of some sick jokes.
I felt for Jongwe on Saturday as the CAPS United fans rained all sorts of insults on the poor coach and, to his credit, he didn't respond by pointing a finger at them.
Instead, he just clapped his hands.
I don't believe Jongwe is a bad coach and there is no reason why the media should treat him as an outcast simply because he failed at find the winning formula at CAPS United.
He is an honest man, hardworking if you want to know, and he took a chance and it failed to work.
We should not pile the agony on the man but let him rebuild his career at Kiglon, where he seems to get it right all the time, and Jongwe needs the same support, from the media, that goes to coaches like Pasuwa, Chunga and Chitembwe.
Yes, he failed at CAPS United but that should not be the end of the road and let's not turn him into a villain because he is not the first, and might not be the last coach, to fail at the Green Machine.
Many have walked away from the Green Machine or Dynamos, after having been deemed failures, and gone on to rebuild their careers elsewhere, including successful ones, like is the case with Rahman Gumbo.
Come on Jongwe, you can rise and shine again.
