IT has been almost two months since Zimbabwe football international Tafadzwa Rusike was released by South Africa Premiership side Ajax Cape Town.
SPORTS EDITOR
Since then he has had trials back home at defending Castle Lager Premier Soccer League champions Dynamos, but did not sign a contract. Instead, Dynamos opted to sign Oscar Machapa, who had a spell at Moroka Swallows.
Rusike was then said to be considering options at Belgian side, OH Leuven, where Warriors attacking midfielder Ovidy Karuru is attached, but is also seeking an away move.
But aged just 24, can Rusike be considered to be a failure at this stage and will inactivity harm his international career? His manager Edzai Kasinauyo says they are working on options and he should be back on the field soon.
“He is still without a club, but he can’t keep on without playing. We are working on something for him,” the manager said yesterday. “He is in South Africa.”
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At the end of August, the former Caps United star tried his luck at Swallows and was on the verge of signing a deal, until the technical team decided otherwise.
Swallows coach Zeca Marques said then: “He is a good player and is one of the options we are looking at him and will make a decision in the next few days.”
Rusike was at Ajax together with Khama Billiat, who moved to Mamelodi Sundowns in a mega bucks deal, and seemingly coach Muhsin Ertugral is not in love with the Zimbabwean. In 2009, Rusike attended trials with Nyasha Mushekwi and failed to make the grade until the Turkish coach was fired.
Rusike is not the only Zimbabwean in this clubless quagmire as former Highlanders midfielder star Honour Gombami was also released by Belgian Second Division side Antwerp last month after just one season.
New coach Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink arrived at Antwerp this summer with 12 new players, leading to Gombami’s exit.
The former Young Warriors star joined Antwerp on free transfer last summer after a lengthy layoff due to a career-threatening injury.
He was injured on November 2 2009 while turning out for Cercle Brugge and spent two full seasons nursing his ankle. Gombami had arrived in Belgium from Highlanders in June 2007 — a year after winning the local league title under Methembe Ndlovu.
He last featured for the Warriors in 2008 in a World Cup qualifier against Kenya under Brazilian coach Valinhos.
While Rusike and Gombami are still searching for clubs to revive their careers, former Caps United and Warriors goalkeeper Energy Murambadoro is still waiting to make an appearance in the colours of South African club Mpumalanga Black Aces after joining last month.
The club, according to reports from Soccer Laduma yesterday, are planning to register him as a local player.
“If Murambadoro doesn’t succeed this time, he will reapply in December. But the club is hoping that he will indeed get the permit that will allow him to play as a local,” one of the sources told the Siya crew.
Aces currently have Eduardo Ferreira, Ofentse Nato, Onyekachi Okonkwo and Zimbabwean internationals Method Mwanjali and Tendai Ndoro registered as foreigners to fill up that quota leaving Murambadoro in the cold.