Veteran Namibian striker Sadney Urikhob is a man in love with Zimbabwe football after a stint with Harare giants Dynamos, which culminated in a Chibuku Super Cup title win at Rufaro Stadium last week.
It was a season in which injury kept the 32-year-old marksman from consistently featuring for the Glamour Boys, but when he did, the DeMbare faithful loved him.
The much-travelled striker, who has played football in his native Namibia, South Africa, Tanzania, Indonesia, Thailand and now Zimbabwe, managed to finish the season with three league goals.
And last weekend, he led the Dynamos attack in their historic successful defence of the country’s premier knockout competition.
Urikhob could not hide his love for Zimbabwean football and in particular, Dynamos.
“When I came to Zimbabwe, I had an offer elsewhere and I said let me go there and see how it goes. Outside of Zimbabwe, they painted a different and negative picture of Zimbabwe. I said I am not going to expect much. I am going to go there and enjoy my football. But now after playing here, I think this league is very competitive and this league has the potential to be the best league in Africa,” Urikhob told this publication after the Chibuku Super Cup triumph.
“I have played in different countries and continents. I can tell you that if the business community comes together to support this league, it will be one of the best in Africa. People from Europe will come and play here. There is so much potential here, the players are hungry (for wins) and there is so much talent and you saw it today,” he said.
After joining the club at the start of the season, Urikhob had a slow start and then he scored his first goal at home to Arenel Movers when the team won 2–1, bagged his second goal in the narrow 1–0 victory over GreenFuel again at Rufaro before netting the equaliser in a one–all stalemate against Simba Bhora at Barbourfields Stadium.
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He became the darling of the Vietnam Stand, which houses Dynamos fans during home matches.
“When I first came, the Dynamos fans doubted me, but I kept going and thought once I get the chance, I will show them who I am. I got the chance and as they say, the rest is history. All I can say is I am extremely happy here in Zimbabwe. Those Dynamos supporters are so special to me. They don’t care who you are, as long as you perform, they will love you. I will always love the Vietnam stand supporters."
Urikhob has been linked with a move away from Dynamos with his next destination believed to be newly-promoted moneybags Scottland FC.
But the player, who has been capped 19 times by Namibia, was coy about his future.
“For now I don’t know if I will be here at Dynamos, but my contract ends in December and the club has not said anything. But I am sure that I will be in Zimbabwe next season, whether here at Dynamos or at another team. But Dynamos will always be in my heart wherever I go,” he said.
In his reflection of the season, Urikhob said he was both happy and sad because of the difficult season they endured as a club.
“To be honest, I am filled with mixed emotions. I am happy and sad at the same time. We had a very tough season. It was very difficult. You saw how we had to strike and fight the management. These boys have endured a lot and they shown character and hunger. Even through the difficult times we pushed.
“We said to ourselves since we are going through all this, we cannot go home fighting the whole season and have nothing. You see we were 1–0 down (in the Chibuku Cup final), but we were pushing each other. I am extremely happy and I just want to thank the almighty God for this success,” he said.
Urikhob missed a number of matches in Dynamos’ Caf Confederation Cup campaign which saw them come within barely 30 minutes of going through to the lucrative group stages.
