BUTLER Masango, the effervescent former Zimbabwe youth international linkman, has breathed his last.
An energetic player blessed with midfield trickery and thoughtfulness passed away in South Africa, where he had been based for close to two decades.
He was 47.
Masango’s stellar football career took him to a game away from the Atlanta 1996 Olympic Games when the Zimbabwe U23 team bravely reached the last qualifying round.
Starring for Black Aces under the tutelage of Swiss mentor Marc Duvillard, “Bhatso” as he was known, was selected into a star-studded Young Warriors outfit that featured his contemporaries such as Methembe Ndlovu, Alois Bunjira, Stewart Murisa, Edelbert Dinha and George Mbwando.
Their last hurdle was a two-legged tie against a Nigerian side spearheaded by Nwanko Kanu and also containing the supreme talents of Austin “Jay Jay” Okocha, Celestine Babayaro, Tijani Babangida, Wilson Oruma and controversial goalkeeper Abiodun Baruwa.
Masango and teammates lost by an identical 0-1 scoreline in both legs for the Flying Eagles to scrape through to the Olympics, where they won the gold medal.
The pinnacle of Masango’s domestic career was when he turned out for Harare giants and then league champions Caps United in 1997 up to 2000.
But he first rose to fame at Rufaro Rovers, for whom he was the best performer despite his young age from 1992 to 1995 when the club folded.
In the early 2000s, Masango trekked to South Africa joining lower division teams and later becoming a coach.
At the time of his death, the Chitungwiza-born footballer was at the Shaun Bartlett Academy in Cape Town with the rank of head coach.
It is here that he was producing talent for South Africa’s Premier Soccer League, including unearthing a future Bafana Bafana star in Thulani Serero who graduated to play for both Ajax Cape Town and Ajax Amsterdam.
Masango is survived by his wife, a former nurse at Chitungwiza General Hospital, and two children.
More details concerning his funeral will be announced in due course.
