Coach Reinhard Fabisch dies

July 14, 2008

By Our Correspondent

HARARE – Former Zimbabwe national team coach and Germany national, Reinhard Fabisch, has died, the German Football Federation announced Monday.

Fabisch was 57. He died after a long illness on Sunday in Germany where he had just returned from his base in the United Arab Emirates. Fabisch was married to a Zimbabwean woman whom he first met when he coached the national team in Zimbabwe between 1992 and 1995.

Fabisch is credited as having revolutionised the Zimbabwean football game with his passionate touchline moves during what was the golden era of Zimbabwean football although the national team, which at the time was made up of legendary names of Zimbabwean football such Peter Ndlovu, Ephraim Chawanda, Agent Sawu, failed to make it to any major football tournament.

During the days when he was in charge of the Warriors, the team nearly qualified for its first Nations Cup and World Cup tournaments only to have their march towards the two prestigious football tournaments halted by perennial rivals Nigeria and Cameroon.

But despite the failure Fabisch’s reign provided some remarkable memories particularly the routing of the South African national team 4-1 in a match played in Harare in 1994 upon the return of South Africa to international competitions after the end of apartheid rule as well as some memorable victories over African football powerhouses such as Cameroon, Egypt and Nigeria.

The German coach remained an all time favourite among Zimbabwean football fans after his “Dream Team” took the country on a memorable journey around the continent in which they came very close to greatness — missing both the 1994 Nations Cup and World Cup finals at the final hurdle.

The Warriors were just 10 minutes away from their maiden place at the Nations Cup finals held in Tunisia in 1994 when Kalusha Bwalya headed home Zambia’s priceless equaliser at the National Sports Stadium on the stroke of the final minute of the match.

The draw gave the Zambians who were still recovering from the plane crash that wiped out a generation of their finest football stars off the coast of Gabon in April 1993 the ticket to the Nations Cup finals in Tunisia while the heartbroken Warriors once again watched the showcase from home.

Fabisch led little known footballing nation Benin to this year’s African Nations Cup. He had to stand down in April because of his illness.

Fabisch played for Borussia Dortmund from 1969-71. Apart from Zimbabwe, he also has had extensive travels around Africa coaching Kenya in 1987 and 1997 and again in 2001 to 2002. In 2005 to 2006 he coached a United Arab Emirates club Al-Shamal and in 2006 and 2007 he also had a stint in the Middle East country coaching Al Ahli Fujeirah.

Fabisch caused uproar at this year’s African Nations Cup when he claimed that he had been approached by an Asian betting syndicate to fix the result of his team’s opening African Nations Cup game against Mali which they lost 1-0.

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Comments

5 Responses to “Coach Reinhard Fabisch dies”

1

GK says:

July 14, 2008 at 10:59 pm

Sad loss. Only one correction: Fabisch’s team beat South Africa in 1992, not 1994. I remember it was in during the August holidays and I was in Form 2. I will nenver forget Charles Mabika’s commentary on Radio 1.
2

MB says:

July 15, 2008 at 9:04 am

I am sure the Warriors did not play against Nigeria during Fabisch’s time as our coach.

GK is correct: the Warriors / SA match was played in August 1992, actually on the 16th of that month.

I just got amused by this sentence: The Warriors were just 10 minutes away from their maiden place at the Nations Cup finals held in Tunisia in 1994 when Kalusha Bwalya headed home Zambia’s priceless equaliser at the National Sports Stadium on the stroke of the final minute of the match.
3

Mr K says:

July 15, 2008 at 9:14 am

Fabisch will be sadly missed by many Zimbabweans, especially in the education sector. He was a very good technical adviser. He shaped a number of school coaches with some very telling results in school soccer competitions. He was a very fair mentor. I will personally miss him.
4

Henry Sande says:

July 15, 2008 at 5:08 pm

Reinhard Fabisch was the best National Coach Zimbabwe has ever had in a very long time and we sadly miss him.May his soul rest in peace
5

jt says:

July 30, 2008 at 6:15 pm

Rest in peace Reinhard thanx for all you did for zimbabwe soccer