Musona coming back to South Africa? Not to my Knowledge!

Thirst for Knowledge: But Musona will be staying in Germany

IF there's one man who can get South African football lovers all shook up, it's an educated guess on the transfer window destination of Knowledge Musona, the Zimbabwean sharp-shooter who leapt to prominence as a youngster with Kaizer Chiefs two years ago.

In this week of matriculation results, perhaps we should call this phenomenon a “Thirst for Knowledge” as the AmaKhosi, Buccaneers and Msandawana fans claim an imminent signing.

Currently plying his trade in Germany – where he is on loan with FC Ausburg after signing for 1899 Hoffenheim in 2011 – the social networks are abuzz with rumours of a return to the PSL today.

Sadly, I can report that there was no real Knowledge behind those whispers. I spoke to his agent Mike Makaab this morning and he assured me: “There’s no truth in those rumours at all. He’s a 22-year-old making his way in Europe. He will stay and fight for his future in Germany. There have been absolutely no talks about coming back to South Africa.

“Knowledge is fine in Germany, I don’t know where these reports came from.”

I think I can explain that. The uncertainty arose with the arrival of former Germany defender Stefan Reuter as the new boss at Ausberg last month.

The former Bayern, Juventus and Dortmund right back, who played 69 games for his nation, took over from Jürgen Rollmann at the struggling Bundesliga club during the current mid-winter break.

With Ausberg on a meagre nine points after 17 games, they are level with rock-bottom SpVgg Greuther Furthe, the newly-promoted club that nearly signed Mamelodi Sundowns’ Zimbabwean striker Nyasha Mushekwi at the start of the season.

Reuter, a pacy defender known as Turbo during his playing days, arrived promising a clear-out and Musona looked an obvious target.

According to http://www.bundesliga.com/en/liga/clubs/fc-augsburg-1907/kader.php Musona, after a debut goal in the 2-0 German Cup win over SV Wilhelmshaven, has gone 737 minutes without a  Bundesliga goal.

With Reuter signing South Korea striker Ji Dong-Won on loan from Sunderland,  Ausburg now have SIX strikers – with Musona curiously listed as a midfielder.

Makaab accepts Musona needs to show Reuter what he can do when the Bundesliga resumes on January 19. Fortunately for Knowledge, his national side narrowly failed to qualify for AFCON 2013 in South Africa – they lost in the play-offs to Angola, going out on away goals – and the latest news from Zimbabwe is that they may withdraw from 2014 World Cup qualifiers through a lack of cash.

With the nation still recovering from the AsiaGate match-fixing scandal, ZIFA vice-president Ndumiso Gumede is quoted today saying: "There is no money to pay for travel expenses and other incidentals. We have decided not to engage in any international matches unless the government chips in with financial assistance."

The association is currently R40m in debt with president Cuthbert Dube and a company called Mbada Diamonds keeping them afloat with cash hand-outs after an opening qualifying defeat on the road to Brazil against Guinea was followed by a draw with Mozambique. Zimbabwe are due to play Egypt in late March.

Musona’s Amakhosi days have become the stuff of legend. He joined the Chiefs from Aces in Zimbabwe having not played a Premier League game in the land of his birth.

As a teenager, he was a super-sub in 2009–10 season and won PSL Club Rookie of the Year award. The next season, he scored 15 goals in 28 league games to win the Lesley Manyathela Golden Boot.

Amid a general thirst for Knowledge, agent Makaab chose a five-year deal at 1899 Hoffenheim over Serbian giants FK Partizan and Scottish champions Celtic as the preferred European destination.

Hoffenheim paid R13m to Chiefs and Ausburg have, in turn, paid Hoffenheim R1m to take him on loan this season. Common sense tells us Knowledge will have to repay that fee with some goals in the second half of the season. Or he really could be back in the PSL next season.

President Kennedy will be back in action on Saturday - if he isn't whisked off to Europe

FIRST the bad news. Kennedy Mweene, the goalkeeping hero of Zambia’s African Cup of Nations triumph over the Ivory Coast in Libreville last Sunday will NOT be playing for South Africa’s Free State Stars against SuperSport United on Wednesday night.

The Lucas “Masterpieces” Moripe Stadium in Atteridgeville will be a sadder place for it. While the Ivorian brothers Yaya and Kolo Toure had a private jet waiting to zoom them back to Manchester City after the final, Mweene relies on scheduled flights and community cabs to get him back to Bethlehem, the remote Free State town 350km from Johannesburg which is home to the Free State Stars.

Mweene, picked as the goalkeeper of the tournament, admits: “I don’t think I will make it back on Wednesday. There is still a lot to be done after our win, the country is celebrating. However, I will be available on Saturday against Amazulu.”

Without wishing to blow my own trumpet, I did predict modest Mweena would emerge as President Kennedy after his clash with Didier Drogba ­ http://scoopnews.co.za/didier-or-die-for-zambia/.

Now the good news. He’s ready to return to the South African Premier League and strut his stuff despite his new-found fame after denying Drogba and Co in an 8-7 penalty shoot-out win for the Chipolopolo (Copper Bullets). Mweene says: “I will really have to work hard now. After Sunday, everyone in South Africa will want to score against the champion! It won’t be easy for me anymore!”

Not that it has ever been easy for the 27-year-old stopper, who played all six games in Zambia’s emotional success in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon before, vitally, saving Kolo Toure’s kick in the final shoot-out. With a string of psychological antics and plenty of chat, he also encouraged Chelsea’s fearsome Didier Drogba to put one penalty over the bar in the 70^th minute of the goalless final and saw Arsenal’s Gervinho put the final spot kick wide.

And all that after a superb save during the perfect first ten penalties – and then being flagged for being marginally off his line.

The man who also saved Asamoah Gyan’s spot-kick in the semi-final against highly-fancied Ghana says: Our coach Herve Renard (who once coached England’s Cambridge United in the Football League’s lowest level) helped us to keep cool, whether it’s a big or small game. He’s done a lot with us mentally. That’s why I wasn’t shaking about Drogba. There was no panic.”

Voted goal.com’s 143^rd world player of the week for his performance during the final, Mweene is now a wanted man. And Free State Stars say they won’t stand in his way if a European club makes an offer for a man who has scored three goals – as many as Orlando Pirates former West Ham striker – in the Premier League this season.

Mweene, who scored during the penalty shoot-out on Sunday, has already attracted attention from local rivals Mamelodi Sundowns but Stars manager Rantsi Mokoena told kickoff.com this week: “We signed Kennedy as an unknown 21-year-old and he is very loyal to Free State Stars.

 “In the last three seasons he has been receiving offers, but he has turned all of them down in order to remain with us. So far we haven’t received any offers, but if he gets offers to go overseas then I’m sure we won’t stand in his way.”

Born in the Zambian capital Lusaka, Mweene was voted the South African Premier League’s top keeper in 2009/10 but his contract expires on June 30, 2014.  His business manager Ryan Hartslief of Bigtime Sports will no doubt be interested to hear Mokoena’s comments.

Mweene started his career with Lusaka Dynamos, playing 27 games for them in 2004 as a teenager, before moving to Kitwe United in 2005 and played 30 games for them before Free State Stars swooped. Mweena is currently listed as having played 14 times for the Bethlehem side known by their Basotho motto “Ea Lla Kotto” or ”fight to the end”. He made his Zambia debut in the same year, and has been Chipolopolo’s first choice ever since, playing 67 times for his country so far.

Unlike most football writers, I’d actually earmarked President Kennedy as a star before this tournament. Have a squint at http://neal-collins.blogspot.com/2011/12/o-little-town-of-bethlehem-all-you-ever.html

And keep a very close eye on President Kennedy. He may just be on his way to stardom beyond the Free State Stars.