‘You must respect the game’
Onismor Bhasera did not hesitate when the call came. It was in November 2017 that he last played for his country, so when Zimbabwe’s football association contacted him in a panic the day before their penultimate Africa Cup of Nations qualifier in March, the veteran fullback was ready.
“It was always an honour to represent your country,” says the 35-year-old SuperSport United leftback, who rushed to OR Tambo Airport, only to find the promised ticket to take him to Francistown for a decisive game against Botswana had not been booked.
Instead of heading home and waiting for the Zimbabwe team officials to fix the problem, Bhasera reached for his pocket and paid himself.
“There was no time to waste. I was at home and they called me. Because of what was happening with COVID, there were many players who couldn’t make it.
“WHEN I CALLED THOSE PLAYERS IN EUROPE, MOST OF THEM IGNORED ME. NOW THEY ARE CLAIMING THEY COULDN’T REACH ME.”
“They asked, ‘are you ready?’. I told them I’m always ready to represent my country. When duty calls I’m there. But when I got to the airport there was some mix up with the booking,” Bhasera explains, with a touch of diplomacy.
“The game
