Articles by John Greechan

Technology

Hibs ace Chaiwa talks family pride, a mother's love - and his ex-footballer dad's DIY 'fix' for a broken leg

At the age of just 21, Miguel Chaiwa displays an emotional maturity beyond his years. An understanding of football, and of life, touched by recent sadness. But also enhanced by the sort of family support strong enough to be felt across continents. Whether he’s paying tribute to late mum Florence Mulenga, who passed away in June, or telling truly uproarious stories about dad Changa Chaiwa, a former player who once made a genuinely hilarious/horrifying DIY attempt to mend a broken leg, the Hibs and Zambia midfielder can’t help but beam with pride. Despite leaving his homeland to sign for Swiss side Young Boys as an 18-year-old, he still feels obvious ties to his homeland. That goes especially for his dad, the first person on the phone after every game. For good or bad … “My dad is also a former football player,” revealed Chaiwa. “So he's a man who's always on me each and every time when he watches the game. “The first thing when I reach home, he's always on the call with me, telling me the mistakes or you need to do this or you need to do that. So I might say he's more like a leader, my mentor. “Yes, he played in Zambia as well. He played for Power Dynamos. He was a winger. “I never got to see him play, no, but his former teammates used to tell me stories about him. So for me, I would just joke around with him. “I tell him that a long time ago, football is more like you're just playing for fun. He would say: ‘No, you need to be serious. You have to do it with passion, with commitment. Everything, the little details matter.’” Pressed on what sort of tales his father’s old team-mates shared, Chaiwa said: “Really funny stories. Because there was one time they were telling me he got injured. He had a broken bone in his leg. “So apparently they had to travel away. So now what he did, two days later on, he went to the physio. He told him, no, you need to have an operation. “So what he decided to do, he took like two planks and tied them to his leg and started running. “Then when the plane took off, he shouted: ‘Doc! Doc!’ When the doctor asked him what was wrong, he just pointed to his leg like, I can't play, I can't play. Because the leg was so sore and so big. Yeah, so he was a very serious man!” Changa has only been to Europe to see his boy play once, with work commitments keeping him away. With a sister in her final year of medical school, the midfielder is having to get by without a steady stream of house guests in Edinburgh. Still, he’s found a new sort of family at Hibs. Players from all parts of the world and all walks of life, bound together by the odd sort of camaraderie that professional sport produces. Chaiwa, who signed for Hibs in August, revealed: “Yeah, it's been a pretty emotional journey for me. A lot has happened these past few months with my family. “I also lost my mum in June. I might say my mum was a strong woman compared to my dad. My mum, she was really, really tough. She was the boss of the house. “I remember, for her, me playing in Europe was more like a big opportunity. And she was really, really happy. Everybody was really, really happy for me and excited when I moved. “The club here have really, really supported me. And I really, really appreciate what they did for me. “Because they know losing a mum is hard for anyone. So I might say I'm not alone. They are always there to support me, to guide me. “Sometimes I go see my family. They help me so much. The people at the club would ask: ‘Do you want to see your family or not?’ “I'm always honest to say, OK, this time around, I may just concentrate on football. Or I can go, if I have a chance to go see my family, I can go and see them. “When I first came to Europe, I was 18 years old. It was a really, really different environment for me. “Going as a young player, going to Europe, different language, different culture, different food. So compared now, looking at the first few months, it was a little bit tricky for me.” Chaiwa’s decision to join Hibs in the summer was partly influenced, he admits, by playing at Celtic Park in the Champions League last season. He got a feel for the frenetic nature of Scottish football. And fancied his chances of thriving in such a fast and furious environment. GET THE LATEST HIBS NEWS DIRECTLY TO YOUR EMAIL INBOX WITH OUR FREE NEWSLETTER SERVICE He has found, in David Gray, a manager dedicated to improving players. And that means individual work with a signing who has the touch, talent and physical profile to play at a higher level. “For me, first and foremost, he's really supportive,” said Chaiwa, when askeda bout the manager. “And he always encourages me. “”hat I can say is that he's somebody who really appreciates when the player is doing well. And what he's expecting from me, it's not a lot. “But looking at how we play games, we carry out them each and every game I play. We pick some mistakes where I can do good, how you need to do this, how you need to do that. “So for me, it's not a big deal. We can talk about it after the game, especially. “When I joined the club, he specifically told me: ‘We're looking for a player who is like you, dynamic, who is able to go box to box. So this is the kind of style that we want.’ So it's up to me whether I can do it or not.” Your next Hibs read: Predicted XI as David Gray has “decision to make” over defender