Chisomo ‘Chacho’ Mopiha

In football, nicknames mostly reflect the capabilities of an individual.

Bob Mpinganjira of MTL Wanderers was nicknamed ‘Mpulumutsi’ because he used to score decisive goals when everybody had lost hope. Bullets had Mzee Jossam nicknamed ‘Mkwangu’ because of his lion-like defensive skills.

But there are other nicknames such as ‘Chacho’, for former Tigers central-defender Chisomo Mopiha, whose origins are difficult to understand.

“When I was with the Under-17 squad at the Cosafa competition in South Africa, I met the former Kaizer Chiefs defender Patrick Chacho, who said he was impressed with my performance.

“So as not to forget his name, I wrote it on my soccer boot. During training with my club at Sedi, my teammates saw the name on my boot and since that day, they called me ‘Chacho,’ Mopiha explained.

The 32-year-old husband to Efrida and father to Ethan and Nomsa, was a Tigers defence pillar from 1995 up until his retirement as a footballer in 2007. He also played in the U-17, U-20, U-23 and the senior national team squads under Manfred Hoener.

The most disappointing moment in football for the Admarc employee and Zingwangwa Township resident was in 1999 while with the U-20 national team at the All African Games Championships in Ghana.

“We lost all our first three games to be booted out of the competition and missed the opportunity of being identified by numerous scouts who were at the event,” said Mopiha.