Former Kaizer Chiefs and Sekhukhune United star Willard Katsande has opened up about the difficult experience of his debut coaching job in Zimbabwe at Rangers FC — from writing his resignation twice, to going two days without food.
Katsande walked away from the ZIFA Northern Region Soccer League side Rangers FC at the end of April, broken by two things that shattered his spirit: unpaid salaries and conditions no coach should endure.
He had arrived in the City of Chinhoyi full of hope, signing a one-year contract to start his coaching journey on home soil, just as he had started his playing career. Seven games later, that dream was cut short. One win, four draws, two defeats. But the scorelines were not the wound. The wound was going two days without food amid unpaid salaries.
Katsande has since moved on to Grand Legacy FC, which competes in the ZIFA Eastern Region Soccer League. He is undefeated in seven matches and won the May Coach of the Month award.
‘I WAS ANGRY’ SAYS WILLARD KATSANDE ON HIS TIME AT RANGERS FC
In a candid interview on Sportlight with Yvonne Mangunda, Katsande described his time at Rangers FC as a harsh lesson in football management, detailing player salary issues, owner interference, and the personal sacrifices he made to keep the team playing.
“I was angry. You blame yourself. You ask, ‘Why did I even come here?’ Then from there it became worse. The players had to share the gate takings,” Katsande said.
“The gate takings had to pay the ambulance services. The gate takings had to pay the referees. The balance left was about USD 400 [R6 500]. Every player was getting USD 17[R277]. That was after the first game.”
Katsande revealed that at one point he went two days without food because the club was not meeting its financial obligations.
He added: “At some point, I went for two days without eating any food. I am not talking about salary, because I also have children who need to pay school fees and eat.
“I am talking about me going two days without eating. Then, on the third day, you eat maybe in the morning. You must know that in the evening, at night, you are not eating. I kept quiet. It becomes a norm.
“I thought to myself, how can these people sleep in their homes knowing that you brought a coach from South Africa who is going to bed without food? I continued fighting through this, and the boys were playing, then I decided to leave.”
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