Former Zimbabwe international defender Cephas Chimedza’s Belgian football career is on a downward spiral.
After briefly disappearing from the radar, he has resurfaced at Third Division team Royal Cappellen.
Chimedza was at one time believed to have signed for another Belgian top division side Westerlo, but he left the club without making a single appearance.
A statement on Royal Cappellen FC’s official website confirmed Chimedza’s latest move. “Cappellen FC has secured the services of Cephas Chimedza, the 26-year-old midfielder, for next season.
“The Zimbabwean came to Belgium in 2005 and played one season at Germinal Beerschot and then four seasons for Sint-Truiden. Chimedza, through Cappellen FC, hopes to relaunch his career,” read the statement on the club’s website.
Cappellen FC is a Belgian club based in Kapellen, a small town near Antwerp which had a long history in the higher divisions of Belgian football before falling on hard times.
In the latter part of the 1960s the club dropped and stayed for a long time in the provincial leagues before a mini resurgence in the early 90s when they managed to climb back into the lower leagues.
Since the 2006-07 season, the club has been playing in the Belgian Third Division A, the fourth tier of professional football in that country.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
Chimedza was a free agent after being released by Westerlo, who he joined after his contract with Belgian Jupiler Pro League side Sint-Truiden expired at the end of last season.
The former Soccer Star of the Year made 119 appearances during the four seasons he spent at Sint-Truiden between 2006-2010, scoring 19 goals in the process.
The ex-Caps United left-back, who has been playing professional football in Belgium since 2005, played one season at Germinal Beerschot before a successful four seasons at Sint-Truiden.
Chimedza was famous for his cultured left foot with which he performed wonders on the field of play.
Chimedza, the 2004 Soccer Star of the Year, started his career at Dynamos, while his brother Elton turned out for city rivals Caps United.
Chimedza then decided to cross the floor in 2004 to join Dynamos’ arch-rivals Caps, a move which paid off as he went on to play some of his best football for the next two seasons at the Green Machine.
He won back-to-back titles with Caps in 2004 and 2005. In 2005, Chimedza was simply in a class of his own in the local Premiership before he was fittingly voted Footballer of the Year in 2005.
His sizzling form attracted the interest of a number of clubs in 2005 and at one time Kaizer Chiefs thought that they had secured a deal with him, before Germinal Beerschot won the race to sign him.
Surprisingly the player left Beerschot after only 11 games, complaining of boredom and ill-treatment from the club.
Chimedza was an important member of the Warriors team during the 2006 African Cup of Nations qualifiers.
He played for Zimbabwe at the 2006 finals, and almost took the nation to the quarter-finals in their last group match against Ghana, when he scored the Warriors’ second goal to lead the Black Stars 2-0. But Zimbabwe’s hopes were dashed when Ghana scored a last-gasp face saver.
Meanwhile, a delayed visa might scupper Motor Action star striker Kuda Musharu’s trip to Belgium for trials with a top-flight club there.
He is expected to leave the country this morning. Musharu is on a season loan to the Mighty Bulls from Monomotapa.
Monoz president Joseph Mukoki on Tuesday confirmed to NewsDay Sport that his player has been invited for trials with a top Belgian side, but by late Tuesday afternoon they were still struggling to get all the travel documents.
“Yes, I can confirm that he has been invited to Belgium for trials, but I cannot disclose the name of the club as yet because it might not happen. We are still having problems with getting all his travel papers.
“He was supposed to have left today (Tuesday), but we are having problems in acquiring a Belgian visa for him. The visa process is taking very long. I was at the Belgian embassy today (Tuesday) and they are demanding a lot of things including insurance and other things and with the time left, it might not be possible for him to travel.
“We are just praying for a miracle, and hope that things could change by tomorrow (Wednesday). The invite came very late and considering that the transfer window in Europe closes next week, it looks very gloomy, but we are still hopeful that something can work out,” said Mukoki.
This will not be the first time the lanky striker has gone out of the country for trials. In May this year, Musharu and teammate Edmore Chitato tried their luck with various South African league teams, but nothing materialised.
