Why Kaitano Tembo winning the MTN8 final is a big deal

Former Zimbabwe hardman Kaitano Tembo achieved a feat this weekend when his SuperSport United side beat Highlands Park 1-0 to win the MTN8 final at Orlando Standium on Saturday.

By doing so Tembo became the second Zimbabwean coach to win a cup in South Africa after Peter Nyama scooped the Coca Cola Cup in 1994.

He bettered his former gaffer Sunday Chidzambwa who was beaten in Nedbank Cup final with Black Leopards in 2011.

Last season Tembo had fallen at the last hurdle losing to Cape Town City and so the weight of expectation was huge on him.

And it is rich pickings for his players who include fellow Zimbabweans Evans Rusike, Kudakwashe Mahachi, Onismor Bhasera who will get 80% of the prize money along with the technical team.

But the bigger story goes beyond the money. It is to take the monkey of the coach’s back that he will enjoy. While Zimbabwe has supplied a countless number of players to the major league that is South Africa, they have been seen as a bit light-weight in the coaching department. It is this which will bode well for the men behind the tactics from across north of the Limpopo.

It is also a reward for Tembo’s loyalty to SuperSport United whom he joined 20 years ago as a player winning the same cup a few years latere. He has risen through the ranks as junior, assistant and now head coach.

With Zimbabwe championship winning coach Norman Mapeza joining Chippa United recently, there are possibilities, although he is fighting relegation.