Having reported a lot on Motor Action Football Club I had grown to know Eric and his wife Liz a lot. Passionate football fans they were. But on this day the issue at hand wasn’t football. Yes the starting and finishing lines might have been at Motor Action Sports Club but this one was a gathering of people who fancied running for 10 kilometers.
I felt good stepping up to the starting line shoulder to shoulder with some seasoned athletes but half an hour into the race all that confidence evaporated. As we turned into Boundary road off Samora Machel I realised I was kidding myself trying to run at the same pace with the seasoned athletes.
I dropped off the leading pack and went solo. It was tough but just as I was mulling giving up Rosen caught up with me and after the customary greetings he urged me to push on.
“Let’s go, never give up,” he urged.
Though it was embarrassing at my age to have a 69 year old catch up with me, I gathered my energy and struck a conversation with him. We talked about a lot of issues, most being football. From Zifa’s battered image, administration woes and what could be done to revive the world’s most beautiful game in this country.
His sentiments were that the debt which was suffocating Zifa could be paid off easily, not by a cash rich Zifa president but by a good and professional football administrator.
“You know Fatima it’s not always about a person who is rich and can give his money any time,” he said.
“You just need a professional individual that can be trusted by investors with their money. With that, that debt can easily be dealt with.”
Rosen went down memory lane telling me how the Mighty Bulls came to be. Then I diverted the discussion to his personal life. How come he ran 10km at his age?
“I run every morning, even this morning I did some jogging at the sports club and that is why I am feeling a bit tired now,” he said.
Rosen also spoke about plans to start an academy for Under 16 years and with his facility Motor Action Sports Club in place, he reckoned the foundation was already laid.
“Early next year I should be kicking off an academy. You see with the Motor Action facility I have somewhere to start from. The youngsters are the future,” he said.
Rosen made it clear that though his wife Liz had supported him throughout their lives she had made it clear that she wasn’t going to be part of the academy project.
“The way the football club collapsed hurt, we invested out all into that project and you can imagine the pain. I understand why Liz doesn’t want anything to do with this thing,” he said.
However, Rosen felt there were spanners being thrown into his works to start a water purifying business , he hoped to use to sustain the academy, by officials at Harare City Council.
“Everything should be set early next year but the problem is I have been trying to start my water purifying business it’s not being cleared at the Harare City Council.
“I have followed all due processes. I was referred to one person to the other but nothing is moving. Its only one person to the next and there is no real reason why it’s being delayed,” I remember Rosen saying with a worried look on his face.
In the midst of strolling through the seemingly never ending 10km, he revealed why he thought the city fathers were playing hard ball.
“Harare City approached me with a deal for Motor Action Sports Club and I said no…my guess is am paying the price for that decision,” said Rosen. I asked if he was interested in making this public and he insisted on us making an appointment. I agreed.
Sadly due to work commitments we couldn’t manage to sit down for the interview.
Maybe we will do so in the afterlife. Just as Rosen completed his race on that hot October day, I believe he truly ran his life’s race, kept the faith.
Rest in peace Mighty Bull!
- Nehanda Radio