By Kuvee Kangueehi & Confidence Musariri
Retiring legend, Amos Shiyuka, has said his football career has been cut short by aggravating injuries and that he would have loved to finish his career after the 2010 African Nations Cup and World Cup qualifiers.
In an exclusive emotional interview with the New Era yesterday, the 29-year-old former national team pillar spoke of his future and past in the country’s footballing history.
“My career has been cut short. I need an injection or some drugs and bandages to keep me running whenever I have to play football, and watching a career being blown into the wind has been the most emotional part of my footballing life,” said the former Civics defender.
Shiyuka has been diagnosed with degenerative changes on one knee following lateral menisectomy a few years ago, and has never fully recovered.
He joins a long list of players who have suffered a fractured knee bone.
According to Shiyuka, the fact that he managed to win the 2007 championship with Civics and the presence of legendary players from southern Africa, has helped him overcome his pain.
South Africa’s 1996 winning team, comprising Doctor Khumalo, Mark Fish, Lucas Radebe, Shoes Moshoeu and Phil Masinga (all-retired) is expected in the country this afternoon to give a resounding send-off to Shiyuka who has compiled a team mainly made up of players who made it to the 1998 African Nations Cup, save for a few surprises like Frank Fredericks and Foresta Nicodemus.
Shiyuka said after tomorrow afternoon he will not lie low in his sporting career but will take up golfing, besides giving first priority to his family.
“Besides golfing, I will be part of the Civics Youth structure where I will help in the development of the team’s junior academy. You may only see me on the list of Civics’ premiership team sheet as a member of the technical department,” he said, giving a hint that he will never return to play again, like most legends, before his time.
The only player to have been involved in all the national teams from the Under-17 to the Brave Warriors as captain and vice-skipper, Shiyuka said he has no plans of coaching the national team at the moment.
“I actually have plans to upgrade my coaching qualifications and will not love to be at the helm of any bigger position in any team in the country, at the moment.”
Shiyuka hurt his knee during a national assignment against Angola in 2003.
The same knee suffered a hard knock the following year against Rwanda in Kigali 2004, before it was aggravated during a collision in an NFA Cup match, two weeks later. He only played ten matches in the national team, besides the 70 matches he featured in for the junior teams between 1995 and 2001.
In his 13-year career, Shiyuka says he does not regret having failed to play professional football outside the country, as it has proved to be a blessing in disguise.
His injury grew worse before he even kicked the ball in Germany during trials and, as fate would have it, his boss, Helmuth Scharnowski (Civics Club owner), initiated another move for trials in Finland 2002, but when he got there, the club had forfeited the trials.
“I have now learnt a lot from football. I have even learnt to put the values of my company ahead. A company that has done much for this country’s sports,” said the Sponsorship and Promotion Manager of MTC.
“William Chilufya and Armando Pedro were the best strikers I played against, and they always gave me headaches. During those days, Chilufya was turning out for Blue Waters but, thank God, we managed to lure him into the Civics family and my nightmares were solved,” he said with a grin.
Shiyuka has had to live with the memories of a player he only got to know as Seyana from Lesotho, who tossed him left, right and centre during an Under-23 Olympics qualification match in Maseru.
“It was the worst day of my life in the national team. No player has given me such a ??????’??