Marshall Munetsi on why more Zimbabwean players stay longer abroad than South Africans

South African players have been facing criticism for opting to stay in their comfort zones at home and not testing themselves in bigger leagues abroad.

In recent years, the number of South African players plying their trade in major leagues in Europe have dwindled with Burnley’s Lyles Foster and Yaya Sithole, who plays for Tondela in Portugal, the only ones in the major European leagues.

Mohau Nkota recently switched to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ettifaq while Shandre Campbell is at Belgium’s Club Brugge but the rest play in smaller European leagues or in second tier clubs across England, Spain and Germany.

More Zimbabweans in top leagues in Europe

By contract, Zimbabwe have Marshall Munetsi and Tawanda Chirewa at Wolves in the English Premier League, Bill Antonio in Mechelen in Belgium, Tawanda Maswanhise in Motherwell, Scotland, Jordan Zemura at Udinese in Italy as well as FC Copenhagen’s Munashe Garananga.

According to Munetsi, who played for Orlando Pirates for two years (2017-2019) before spending six years in France with Stade Reims, Zimbabwean players are always looking for fresh and bigger challenges while South Africans have everything going for them at home and hence opt against moving abroad.

“It is comfortable for South African players to stay in the league in South Africa because they have everything,” Munetsi, who joined Wolves in January this year, said on Sports Night Amplified with Andile.

Why are Zimbabweans thriving abroad?

“So for us normally you would want to go as far as possible so sometimes it is just the hunger and desire and determination to go far. That is why you see we do have a lot of players from Zimbabwe who come to South Africa and then go out of South Africa.

“The difference with us now is that the other young boys are born in Europe so they obviously get an easier path to the bigger teams.

“It is just the determination and hunger to go and try something that is different to try and test yourself against the best. I think it is just a matter of them trying to go out of their comfort zone.”