Rahman Gumbo
| Rahman Gumbo | |
|---|---|
 Rahman Gumbo | |
| Born | Rahman Allen Thuthani Gumbo November 18, 1963 Zimbabwe |
| Died | November 10, 2023 (aged 59) Botswana |
| Cause of death | Heart failure |
| Nationality | Zimbabwean |
| Citizenship | Zimbabwean |
| Occupation |
|
| Years active | 1990s - 2023 |
| Notable work | Coached the Warriors |
| Home town | Bulawayo |
| Predecessor | Sunday Chidzambwa |
| Successor | Ian Gorowa |
Rahman Allen Thulani Gumbo was a Zimbabwean footballer who played for a number of local football clubs in the Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League.
After hanging up his boots, Gumbo ventured into coaching and worked with teams such as Highlanders Football Club, CAPS United Football Club and TelOne Football Club.
He was the interim coach for the Zimbabwe National Soccer Team (also known as the Warriors) when Sunday Chidzambwa resigned in July 2019.
Background
Gumbo was born on 18 November 1963.[1]
Football Career
During his days as a footballer, Gumbo played for Eagles Football Club. He then moved to Highlanders Football Club where he spent the better part of his career. He was also called in to play for the national team during the early 1990s.[2] In the national team, he played alongside the likes of Peter Ndlovu and Adam Ndlovu. Gumbo was part of the national team that defeated South Africa 4-1 in 1992 and he also scored a goal during the historic victory. The national team was then called the "Dream Team" and was coached by the late former Germany mentor Reinhard Fabisch.
Career as a Coach
Rahman Gumbo affectionately known as "Dr Rush" in the football circles had a successful coaching career with Highlanders Football Club where he won two championship titles in 1998/99 and 2000 before he was harshly fired in his third season for losing to Buffaloes.
Gumbo was appointed coach for the Warriors in 2005 after the departure of Sunday Chidzambwa who had led the team to the historic AFCON finals in 2004.[1] He was eventually fired after a dismal defeat to Nigeria in 2005. He was appointed manager for the Warriors for the second time on 8 February 2012.[1] On 8 March 2014, he was appointed manager of Botswana Premier League club Gaborone United.[1]
In 2011, Gumbo was hired by a Zvishavane based club FC Platinum to work as the team's coach. He was fired in July 2012 following "poor performance".[3] After being fired by FC Platinum, Gumbo joined Bulawayo City's coaching department.[4] Gumbo coached a championship addicted Bosso team of the 1999-2001 era, winning countless trophies before being dumped. He went on to successfully coach CAPS United Football Club, the Zimbabwe Warriors, and eventually migrated to Malawi where he won several awards.[5]
Gumbo won the league title two times with Highlanders Football Club in 1999 and 2000.[6] He also won the Malawian league with the MTN Wanderers [7] and Botswana's league with Township Rollers.[8] In April 2015, Botswana premier league side Gaborone United won the Mascom Top 8 beating Madinda Ndlovu's Township Rollers, under the tutelage of Rahman Gumbo.[9]
Coaching The Warriors Again
In July 2019 Rahman went back to coach the National Men's Team after Sunday Chidzambwa resigned. It was announced that he will be assisted by Lloyd Mutasa and both men will be there on an interim basis.
Sua Flamingoes
Gumbo was sacked by Botswana Premiership club Sua Flamingoes on 6 December 2022 after a string of poor results.[10]
He left the club in position 15, second from the bottom of the table with just three points from a possible 18.
Under Gumbo, Sua Flamingoes lost five of their six 2022/23 championship matches, with the only win of the season registered on match day three when they beat Morupole Wanderers 1-0.
Morupule Wanderers
In January 2023, Gumbo was appointed head coach by Palapye-based Botswana Premiership side Morupule Wanderers on a two-year deal.[11]
His appointment came less than a month after parting ways with another top side in Botswana, Sua Flamingoes.
Gumbo took over when Morupule Wanderers were in eighth position in the standings with 11 points, 14 points behind leaders Gaborone United.
Gumbo was sacked by Morupule Wanderers in November 2023 after a string of poor results.[12]
His club had managed three draws and three defeats in the first six of the Botswana Premier League.
His last match was a 1-1 draw with Holy Ghost on 05 November where an equaliser from fellow Zimbabwean Dominic Chungwa rescued a point for Wanderers.
Awards
- 1998/99 and 2000 League Championship as Highlanders Football Club coach
- Malawi League Championship with MTN Wanderers (Coach)
- Botswana League Title with Township Rollers (Coach)
- Mascom Top 8 Cup with Gaborone United in 2015 (Coach)
Death
Hardly three days after being sacked by Botswana outfit Morupule Wanderers, former Highlanders and Zimbabwe Warriors coach Rahman Gumbo (59) reportedly collapsed and later died from a suspected heart attack on 10 November 2023.[13]
Gumbo reportedly suffered a heart attack at his home in Botswana in Palapye on Thursday 9 November 2023 in the presence of his son.
He was ferried to the hospital but his condition never improved until medical authorities there decided to transfer him to a Francistown facility, 160km away Friday evening where he was immediately put on the Intensive Care Unit. Gumbo passed on barely a few hours later. His assistant at Morupule Wanderers, Zacharia Muzadzi, confirmed the tragic news.
State-assisted Funeral
Gumbo was accorded a state-assisted funeral by President Emmerson Mnangagwa. ZANU PF secretary general Obert Mpofu addressed Gumbo as “Cde Gumbo”, a common title among ZANU PF loyalists.[14]
Mpofu wrote a letter to the Chief Secretary to the President and Cabinet Martin Rushwaya advising him that Mnangagwa had conferred a state-assisted funeral to Gumbo.
Unlike other public personalities who have been afforded state-funded funerals where communication on decisions about their burials was initiated by the Government, in Gumbo's case, it was ZANU PF that initiated the burial arrangements.
Although little is known of Gumbo's links with ZANU PF, Mpofu intimated that he was a party member from Bulawayo province.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 , About Rahman Gumbo,Rahman Gumbo Facebook Page, retrieved:14 Apr 2015"
- ↑ Ricky Zililo, Rahman Gumbo Not Keen on PSL Jobs,Chronicle, published:12 Jul 2013,retrieved:15 Apr 2015"
- ↑ , FC Platinum fires Rahman Gumbo,ZimEye, published:3 Jul 2012,retrieved:15 Apr 2015"
- ↑ Rahman Gumbo joins Botswana side, Soccer24, Published: March 8, 2014, Retrieved: August 12, 2015
- ↑ , Rahman Gumbo Is Said To Have Refused Seduction.,e-Diski.com, published:2 Sep 2010,retrieved:15 Apr 2015"
- ↑ Gumbo: The enduring hate figure, Daily News, Published: October 19, 2012, Retrieved: August 12, 2015
- ↑ Ricky Zililo, Rahman Gumbo 'not keen on psl jobs', Chronicle, Published: July 30, 2013, Retrieved; August 12, 2015
- ↑ Tawanda Tafirenyika, Rahman quits, NewsDay, Published: November 23, 2013, Retrieved: August 12, 2015
- ↑ Fortune Mbele, Gumbo beats Madinda in Mascom Top 8 final, NewsDay, Published: April 20, 2015, Retrieved: August 12, 2015
- ↑ Ricky Zililo, Rahman Gumbo fired in Botswana, Chronicle, Published: 06 December 2022, Retrieved: 06 December 2022
- ↑ Rahman Gumbo Finds New Coaching Job In Botswana’s Topflight, Published: 06 January 2023, Retrieved: 09 January 2023
- ↑ Gerald Sibanda, Gumbo, Sibanda shown the door, Chronicle1, Published: 08 November 2023, Retrieved: 10 November 2023
- ↑ HIGHLANDERS legend Rahman Gumbo is no more, Chronicle2, Published: 11 November 2023, Retrieved: 11 November 2023
- ↑ Nkosana Dlamini, Mnangagwa grants Dream Team legend Rahman Gumbo state-assisted funeral, ZimLive, Published: 16 November 2023, Retrieved: 16 November 2023
