EVER since he was in his late teens turning out for Highfield-based side Mutanga Rovers, David “Broom Boy” George was a nuisance for Harare giants Dynamos each time he played against them.
yesteryear profile with MUNYARADZI MADZOKERE
Aptly christened “Broom Boy” because of the ease with which he swept past defenders to score top-notch goals, his prowess almost always came to the fore in matches against Dynamos.
When the late Morrison Sifelani and Obadiah Sarupinda — in charge at the Harare giants — failed to come up with tactical means to stop the marauding young forward, there was one other option left: to buy him.
And when they did buy him on a fine day in 1975, he signed the contract in the morning and made a substitute appearance for his new team later on the same day in a league tie against Arcadia United at Rufaro Stadium.
“I think I am one of the few players in the history of football who signed a contract in the morning and played for the new team the very same day,” the 64-year-old former Dynamos forward told Standardsport in an interview last week.
“I remember I would score some beautiful goals each time we played against Dynamos when I was still at Mutanga Rovers. And from there, I think Sifelani and Sarupinda, who brought me to Dynamos, had very little choice, but to sign me to deal with the problem,” George said with a chuckle.
Such was the level of Dynamos’ desperation to get George.
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His impact at Dynamos was, however, not instant as he had to fit in an attack that already had the likes of George “Mastermind” Shaya, Ernest “Nyamuzihwa” Kamba, Shaw “Kojak” Handriade and Daniel “Dhidhidhi” Ncube.
“I did not immediately make it into the team because there were some great players in there, but my chance came when Ernest Kamba moved to Malawi and I was thrust in to replace him as a winger. I never looked back,” George said.
In 1976, Broom Boy was among the 11 Soccer Stars of the Year, as he helped Dynamos to another league title — the fourth since its formation in 1963.
In another title-winning campaign, George would again make it onto the Soccer Stars calendar two years later, as his stock continued to rise in the Glamour Boys’ colours.
With DeMbare dominating football soon after Independence, Broom Boy became an integral part of the Warriors set-up, when John Rugg was coach.
He was part of the great DeMbare team that won four titles in a row between 1980 and 1983 before a nagging knee injury ended his career in 1984 when he was in his early 30s.
Thus began his coaching career, which has seen him in and out of Dynamos in various capacities, including a stint as the head coach at the turn of the century.
Lately, George has been off the radar on the local coaching scene, as he remains unattached since his tenure as the technical director at the Harare City Academy.
“Currently, I am not coaching any team I am at home but I would not mind an opportunity to come back. Late last year, I was in Mutoko helping Mutoko Football Club, but it was in just their last seven matches,” the former Dynamos star player said.
“Overall, I won a lot of trophies during my career as a player and coach. I have lots of them in my house and if football trophies and medals counted for wealth here in Zimbabwe, I believe I would be a rich man. Nevertheless, the sight of them makes me appreciate the fact that I have achieved something in Zimbabwean football.”
Broom Boy is counted among the thousand-plus youngsters who grew up in the football-crazy Mbare township playing football at Mai Musodzi Hall, and eventually making it big in Zimbabwe football.
He didn’t achieve as much as a coach as he did as a player and still carries a sense of unfinished business in that domain.
However, George’s ultimate dream is to have an academy of his own in the high-density surburb of Glen Norah, where he resides.
“I don’t have money, but the one thing that would give me peace is to set up my own academy here in Glen Norah. I have been around long enough to see the amount of talent that is here and sometimes it is just so sad to watch it go to waste,” he said.
George is part of the Dynamos group led by Kamba, Shaya and company that has been battling to take control of the club, but he has always been preaching the gospel of peace and dialogue.
“It’s not healthy for us to keep fighting over the club when the bone of contention is just a small matter. We need dialogue and unity of purpose. While I am not happy altogether with what is happening at Dynamos currently, I don’t want to say bad things about those in charge,” he said.
“All we want is for the Dynamos brand to continue growing and for the club to be run professionally. For example, it’s not like Dynamos to say we don’t have a strong team because we didn’t have money to buy players. What happened to junior development and a strong reserve side we used to have in the past?”
