SERBIA-BASED Zimbabwean footballer Tinotenda Chibharo might have sold the nation a dummy with his claims that he played for and captained the Manchester City Under-21 side following reports in the English media this week alleging that he was never part of the Premier League outfit.
BY SPORTS REPORTER
The 25-year-old forward, who now plays for FK Sloboda Užice in the Serbian First League, was six years ago hailed as one of the country’s brightest prospects after claiming he had captained City’s Under-21 side.
His agent Denford Mutashu added that his “meteoric rise” had attracted interest from as far afield as France’s Ligue 1 and Spain’s La Liga.
Chibharo repeated the same claims in a wide-ranging interview with this publication in January on how he had adjusted to life in Serbian football.
“Playing at Manchester City was a great experience, which developed me as a player and as an individual. It also allowed me to share the stage with some phenomenal players. They taught me many lessons, which made me the player I am today,” Chibharo told Standardsport then.
However, in a dramatic twist, sportbible.com suggests that Chibharo might have never played for Manchester City and instead only featured for the Right to Dream Academy, which has a partnership with the Premier League side.
“A quick Google of Chibharo will uncover a YouTube video of him playing for City, his Wikipedia page, which claims he was signed for City and articles from Zimbabwean sites that claim he captained City’s young side [The Wiki page has been edited since I started writing the article],” reported sportbible.com.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
“However, there is literally no trace of him when it comes to City. We did some digging as it appears this is something that’s been asked before when fans have come across the player.”
The publication also alleged that Chibharo never featured for Scottish side Kilmarnock.
“According to his Wikipedia page, the 25-year-old also played for Scottish side Kilmarnock, but equally no one has any memory of him playing for Killie either.”
Sportbible.com, which describes itself as one of the largest communities for sports fans across the world, also cited tweets of fans from both Manchester City and Kilmarnock questioning if Chibharo had indeed featured for the clubs. Chibharo has also featured for English non-league sides Harrogate Railway Athletic FC and Liversedge FC and his history at the two sides has not been questioned.
Standardsport sought to independently verify the claims by Chibharo as well as reports by online publications from both Manchester City and Scottish side Kilmarnock, but both clubs had not responded questions sent to them on the matter at the time of going to press.
When contacted by Standardsport for a response to the “saga”, Chibharo laughed off the report before adding that his agent had advised him not to comment on the issue.
“Hahaha, they can write anything to sell,” Chibharo said before adding: “I just spoke to my manager he said I should let them sell for now and come with a response later.”
Mutashu initially asked for questions in writing when Standardsport sought a comment, but later made a roundabout turn referring all questions on the matter to the clubs in question.
“I believe the best people to comment on that matter are the clubs in question,” Mutashu said.
