FORMER Zimbabwe senior national team manager Sharif Mussa believes the best way the country can honour football legends like the recently retired former national team captain Knowledge Musona is by staging testimonial matches in recognition of their distinguished service to Zimbabwe football.
Mussa, who has worked with different generations of the Warriors players since the turn of the millennium as liaison officer and later team manager, yesterday said the country should adopt a culture of honouring football legends and former national team players that have served with distinction.
He said players are not being honoured in retirement despite their contributions and was particularly concerned about the silence that followed Musona's retirement.
Musona waved goodbye to his Warriors career last month, after serving the senior national team for 12 years, five of them as captain.
The 31-year-old devoted his football endowments to the national cause from a young age in the Under-17s before graduating to the Under-20s and Under-23s on the way up, and later assuming a leading role in the senior national team.
Mussa said it was worrying that Zimbabwe, unlike many other football-loving countries, do not celebrate their heroes of the game once they leave the stage. He challenged ZIFA to take the leading role.
"As a country I have realised that we tend to overlook our football heroes the moment they wave goodbye to national duty.
"In my opinion the best way to thank and show appreciation for Knowledge for his 12 years of service to Zimbabwe senior men's football and the many more years he devoted to the junior national teams, is to organise a Testimonial match for him.
"I am aware that as a country, we do have this poor tradition of not holding Testimonial matches but if it has been overlooked before, there is always a first time and we can correct things by honouring Knowledge and make it a point that we always honour such players who would have served their country with distinction.
"ZIFA should obviously lead the way on this one and I am sure it will also serve as an inspiration to current and upcoming players," he said.
Mussa has a rich football administration background, having served the senior national team from 2004 to 2017. He is still involved in the game at a higher level of administration as match general coordinator for the Confederation of African Football. He has been posted by CAF to oversee some of the high profile matches on the continent over the last four years.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Mussa said Musona was one of the brightest talents that he came across during his many years in football. Musona has been one of the key players for Zimbabwe in the last decade.
He played a big role for the Warriors to qualify for three editions of the AFCON tournaments in 2017 (Gabon), 2019 (Egypt) and the rescheduled 2021 tournament held in Cameroon.
And after leading the Warriors on their last AFCON appearance in Cameroon this year, the forward penned an emotional letter last month to the Zimbabwean football family where he indicated that he had done his part and was now leaving the stage for the upcoming talents to take over the baton.
"It was with huge surprise and yet a sense of pride that I read about Knowledge Musona's decision to retire from the national team.
"It was a surprise in the sense that I always felt that Knowledge still had more to offer to the national team especially as a leader and through his talents and goal-scoring prowess.
"The national team game is obviously different from club football and it is not every day that you find a player who is able to carry his nation's hopes and aspirations on his shoulders with distinction in the way Knowledge would do.
"I would also want to take this occasion to wish Knowledge all the best in his future endeavours and who knows one day he may return to the national team fold in a different capacity.
"I am sure he still has enough pedigree in him to continue with his club career at the highest level and continue to make Zimbabwe proud," said Mussa.
