Jeyman mourns the death of Black Aces

Sport
In 1992 a football team that had strong roots in Harare’s Highfield high-density suburb, Black Aces, upset the apple cart and nicked the league title from the clutches of Zimbabwe’s traditional giants, Dynamos.

In 1992 a football team that had strong roots in Harare’s Highfield high-density suburb, Black Aces, upset the apple cart and nicked the league title from the clutches of Zimbabwe’s traditional giants, Dynamos.

yesteryear profile with MUNYARADZI MADZOKERE

Francis “Gazza” Jeyman
Francis “Gazza” Jeyman

In that same team was a teenage prodigy, only 18, who was enjoying his first season of top flight football, having graduated from the junior teams that very season.

Twenty-seven years on, the team, affectionately named “Shaisa Mufaro” loosely translated to “party-poopers”, is now but distant memory in the minds of football fans.

Francis “Gazza” Jeyman, the teenage sensation who never quite reached the full potential that his auspicious start to professional football promised, is now 42.

Jeyman, who disappeared from the football scene close to a decade ago, now spends most of his time at a place called pamaTerminus in Highfield’s Canaan neighbourhood.

One might fail to recognise him, with old headphones hanging around his neck, a torn pair of jeans and dirty and greasy hands as he stands over a braai stand in the backyard of his best friend’s butchery.

His countenance resembles a man carrying hurt and perhaps he is, just as Standardsport soon discovered.

“It hurts so much my brother when I think about the demise of Black Aces because it’s a team that I served since I was a boy. My best football days were at that club and now that I am retired, I know that it is one club that would be celebrating me as its own legend,”Jeyman somberly remarked.

In the 1990s Black Aces, coached by the late great Peter Nyama and later on by Swiss national Marc Duvillard, managed to earn a seat among the country’s top clubs.

Nyama steered Black Aces to the league title in 1992 with a team that boasted the likes of Wilfred Mugeyi, John Mbidzo, Percy Mwase, Stanley Mashezha, Charles Kaseke and Emmanuel Nyahuma, among others.

In 1999 Jeyman captained the now struggling side to a famous BP Cup triumph.

“It’s sad that there was no sponsor who could say let’s carry on and keep playing to keep our club alive. Most of the players served the club for little or no money at all because we really loved it.

“We had played a lot of games without getting any winning bonuses. When we played the BP Cup, we won every game en route to the final without getting any money and we only got to be paid after we won the cup. We were united and also this club played a big role in this community,” Jeyman continued.

The man, popularly known as Gazza, earned his first contact with Black Aces as a 13-year-old boy after a man he remembers as Mr Manjoro who had a shop at Machipisa Township saw his potential.

Jeyman rose through the ranks in a junior career punctuated by short stints at Dynamos and Black Rhinos.

It was at the beginning of 1992, at the age of 18 that Nyama decided to give young Jeyman a chance in the senior team and it immediately paid dividends as he scored on debut against Chapungu at Ascot.

Being very young, his contribution to the team’s success was minimal as he started a lot of games on the bench as Black Aces were eventually crowned champions.

“It was a memorable season. We had a very good team and it was just amazing to have been part of it. I learnt as much as I could from the seniors, which is why I went on to be a very good player.that’s where I copied my style of play,” the former defensive linkman said.

On an individual level Jeyman’s best year was 1995 when Duvillard became coach. Jeyman made it onto the Soccer Stars of the Year calendar having single-handedly guided Black Aces to third place in the league championship.

It was during that period that he was called to the national Under-23 team and competed in the 1996 Olympic qualifiers and rubbed shoulders with the likes of Nigerian great, Austin JJ Okocha.

Jeyman vividly remembers the day he received some kind words from Okocha during one of the qualifiers away in Nigeria.

“We went to Nigeria, we lost 3-0 but Okocha told me that I was a good player and had potential to play at the top level. He also told me that I needed to work on my physic. I kept him out of the game that day, we could match in ball control and passing but he was physically superior to me,” Jeyman reminisced.

When Black Aces folded in 1999, Jeyman was sold to Motor Action on a five-year contract along with Tinashe Nengomasha, Tendai Mwarura, David Sengu and a few others.

And at the expiry of his contract, Eric Rosen refused to renew it because of his advanced age at the end of 2005 and that would be the last time the midfielder was seen in top flight football.

His passion for football is apparent but comeback bids are continually hindered by his failure to invest in coaching badges while he was still a player.

“What is in my heart is the need to coach, that’s where my passion is. I watch the likes of Antonio Conte, Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho and I see their style and I feel I could also be like them.

“I haven’t found the money to go for Level One coaching and I would be grateful if I can find someone who could assist me financially in getting those certificates so that I can also impart my knowledge to youngsters,” he said.

Post-football life has not been easy for Jeyman, but thanks to his best friend Ben Jacob who owns the butchery where Jeyman assists in order to earn a living.

Jeyman, an adept ball winner and distributor in his heyday, with a knack for popping into the box and scoring vital goals, is still not married, at 42.

“I need to take my time. You know life begins at 40 and now I am 42 so I am taking my time on that one, but it will eventually happen,” he said with a chuckle.

Nicknamed Gazza after the famous England midfield star Paul Gascoigne, one hopes that Jeyman can conquer the alcoholic demons that trouble the Englishman’s football afterlife and make something out of his own life.