Veteran sports coach and administrator as well as fitness trainer Donald Zengeni has penned a motivational book titled Eyes on the Ball for the Main Goal set to be launched next month.
By Fidelity Mhlanga
In his book, Zengeni says his desire was to see athletes being the shining beacons of society. The book, which is already being sold on online platforms that include Amazon, seeks to make a difference and improve the quality of lives.
Zengeni said he exploited sports to motivate young people to keep their eyes on the ball so as to achieve the main goal.
He added that experience in coaching had made him appreciate the strength in numbers as football was like a box of extra-large pizza; such that the slices are shared.
“We share the pain when we lose, the joy when we win; your win is my win, it’s our victory. In this book, I will share with you the slices of sport and the life lesson derived from the game of soccer. From where I am standing, there is more to pizza than just a slice; soccer is more than a game. It’s a learning experience,” he said.
Zengeni, who expects his book to be launched by the Sports and Recreation minister Makhosini Hlongwane said; “It’s not always the case that everytime one waits for the opportunity to present itself, but there is a need to push as a team”.
Zengeni has experience working with a number of schools and projects that include Generations for Peace, Zimbabwe Olympic Committee, Ministry of Sports and Recreation, Selbourne Junior School and Arcadia Primary School (both in East London, South Africa), Gateway High School as well as Prince Edward School.
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He said he enjoys working with the youths. In 2010, he had a community soccer project that had close to 100 children of primary school age in Zimbabwe while in South Africa he set up the Donald Academy with 70 children.
“If our youth are taught the right principles, we will not have cases of match-fixing, age-cheating and doping. It’s a pity doping, age-cheating and match-fixing is corroding our sports,” he said.
“What is the point of competing if we are cheating? Cheating substitutes hard work and that is the disease that is killing society today. It’s something that we can’t just fold our arms and watch.”
In his 30-page book, Zengeni exposes ills that are corrupting sports and encouraged youth to be diligent, focused and honest.
“Winning is not everything. There is joy in taking part, regardless of the outcome. In life it’s better to be poor living a life free of deceit than being rich through unscrupulous means,” he said.
“I would rather lose the championship than fix matches. The Bible speaks about being the light. Young people, I say to you ‘whether it’s on or off the sporting field, let’s desire to do good and let the light shine brighter till the end of time’.”
