Born on 26 April 1977, Joel ‘Dubai’ Luphahla is a legendary sports personality and former Zimbabwean footballer who featured for a couple of local and international teams including CAPS United Football Club and the Zimbabwe National Soccer Team, the Warriors.
He was part of the history making Warriors team that qualified for its maiden Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals held in Tunisia in 2004.
The team was coached by veteran football legend Sunday Chidzambwa and captained by one of the country’s greatest footballers of all times Peter ‘the Flying Elephant’ Ndlovu.
He played as a striker in a team that included football legends namely, Lazarus Muhoni, Wilfred Mugeyi and Kaitano Tembo.
He was also part of the team that won the 2000 COSAFA Cup under the guidance of Misheck Chidzambwa, and was also part of the Warriors team that participated in the 2006 AFCON Finals.
Luphahla has spent greater part of his football career playing in South Africa’s Premier Soccer League and also had a spell in Cyprus.
Brief facts: Born April 26, 1977, Tsholotsho, Zimbabwe
Nationality: Zimbabwean.
Education: Losikeyi Primary School and Gifford High School.
Occupation: Football Personality
Years active: 1990s-present
Employer: Highlanders Football Club
Known for: Played for the Zimbabwe National Soccer Team, CAPS United Football Club.
Background:
After finishing his O Level in Bulawayo, Luphahla went to Tsholotsho, and he reportedly stole his mother’s goat to pay a person who helped people to jump the border into South Africa.
Upon his arrival in South Africa, Luphahla was forced circumstances to put up in the streets following his friends’ refusal to offer him accommodation.
He was then placed in detention for two weeks by the home affairs, awaiting his deportation back to Zimbabwe.
Left with little options, he was forced to return to Zimbabwe and take football seriously to make up for the goat he had stolen before leaving for South Africa.
He joined a club in a social football league in Tsholotsho, where he was spotted by Madinda Ndlovu who had travelled to Tsholotsho on a business trip.
Ndlovu passed the news of his finding to the then Highlanders head coach Rahman Gumbo and chairman Ernest Maphepha Sibanda, however, they took longer to take action.
Luphahla then joined a Division Two club based in Nyamandhlovu but still had travel to Bulawayo for some league games.
This was when he made his breakthrough after Zimbabwe Saints Football Club spotted him and offered a contract with the assistance of Ronald Sibanda.
This was not the first time he had been with the club following his short stint as an Under 14 player.
After starring for Zimbabwe Saints until 1998, he went to Highlanders and then to Cyprus in 2000.
He returned from Europe and played for a couple of clubs in South Arica including Supersport United and Platinum Stars.
Luphahla returned to Zimbabwe in 2010 and ended his playing career at his home town club, Tsholotsho Football Club in 2015.
Coaching Career
Luphahla was the coach of TelOne FC when they were playing in the ZIFA Central Region Division One league in 2018 and managed to lead them into the Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League and unfortunately, he was reassigned to another role after ZIFA barred him from being the head coach because he did not have the required qualifications to sit on the bench as the team’s coach in the Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League. He joined ZIFA Division 2A Club, Golden Eagles FC in 2019.
On 21 March 2022, Golden Eagles revealed that Luphahla left the club by mutual consent. Luphahla was replaced by Gilbert Mushangazhike.
On 22 March 2022, Luphahla joined Highlanders Football Club as an assistant coach.
On 17 May 2022, Joel Luphahla was not dismissed when Mandla Mpofu and his technical team were fired by Highlanders.
In March 2023, Luphahla was “demoted” from being Highlanders’ assistant coach to strikers’ coach as he did not have the necessary qualifications to sit on the bench.
He had a CAF C licence and did not have a CAF A coaching certificate. Rules put in place by the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) required all Premier Soccer League (PSL) coaches and their assistants to have CAF A licences.