The Zimbabwe football fraternity turned out in its numbers to bid farewell to one of the Dynamos legends David George who was laid to rest at Zororo Memorial Park yesterday afternoon.
George passed away at his Harare home on Saturday after a long battle with illness.
He was 71.
Zifa Normalisation Committee chairman Lincoln Mutasa, a former teammate of George, led a host of the country's football personalities made up of past and present footballers, coaches and administration to pay their last respects to the late former Warriors and Dynamos slippery forward.
As expected the Mbare-born football legend’s body was also paraded at Rufaro Stadium where he made a lot of memories with Dynamos during his time, on its was to the final resting place.
“As Zifa we saddened to pass our condolences to Mkoma George's family. To us, he was a major asset within our football ranks. These were the silent giants that people never get to talk about. It may surprise you that when the Normalisation Committee was appointed he was one of the first people to phone us and reassure us of his support. It made us realise that we were not alone,” Mutasa said.
“We played together at Dynamos from around Independence and even though we were playing both as strikers he would still give me advice. He was quiet, a good guy and very supportive,” he added.
Former Warriors striker Gilbert Mushangazhike also paid tribute to George who was his coach at Dynamos juniors while he also castigated local football for failing to honour their football legends.
- Mparutsa dismisses ex-Dynamos players’ ownership claim
- Mparutsa dismisses ex-Dynamos players’ ownership claim
- Football legends bid farewell to Shaya
- Football legends bid farewell to Shaya
Keep Reading
“It’s such a loss for Zimbabwean football. Blah Diva was like a father to me. In my life he is a reference because the courage I have comes from him. He was my coach at Dynamos Under-14s until I graduated into the senior team
“From experience through travelling I think in Zimbabwe we lack structures for life after football where football clubs recognise their legends and appreciate them while they are still alive,” Mushangazhike said.
Former Caps United star forward Alois Bunjira said George’s death is a great loss to the Zimbabwe football fraternity.
“He was one of the best players in Zimbabwe football. We watched him as young boys. We got to know him better when he was now coaching. He is a Dynamos legend and I played for Caps United but we used to meet in the football streets. We interacted a lot.
“It's unfortunate I didn't get to be coached by him but in his latter days, I had a lot of conversations with him including on my show In Touch with a Legend. I interviewed him about six months ago. It's a great loss to Zimbabwean football because he was a knowledgeable coach and he inspired a lot of youngsters,” Bunjira said.
Others speakers took turns to share their good experiences with George.
Born in Mbare in 1952, George began his football career at Nimfa Rovers and Mutanga Rovers before he joined Dynamos in 1975.
He helped Dynamos to six league titles during his eight-year stint with the Harare giants.
George was christened Broom Boy due to his ability to dribble.
The late dribbling wizard was Chidzambwa’s assistant when DeMbare reached the finals of the 1998 Caf Champions League and also deputised David Mandigora in the same competition in 2007 when the Glamour Boys reached the semi-finals.
