Shabanie Mine coach Luke Masomere has asserted that his heart would not be divided when he faces former side Masvingo United in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match at Mucheke Stadium on Sunday.
Masomere, who hails from the ancient town of Masvingo, has deep roots at Yuna Yuna, a club he has had various stints as a coach and also won the Zifa Unity Cup with.
Interestingly, he joined Shabanie Mine from Masvingo United at the end of July and admitted leaving Masvingo was not an easy decision.
To many in the football fraternity, Masomere, who is also a former player at Shabanie, seems to be caught between a rock and a hard place as he leads the asbestos miners in the fight against relegation.
But the chain-smoking coach maintains his heart will be “100%” with his current employers when he goes back to Mucheke for the first time since he quit Masvingo.
“On Sunday my heart will be 100% with Shabanie Mine because that is where I am working at right now,” said Masomere.
“My heart would be with Masvingo when they play another team, but at the moment my bread is buttered at Shabanie Mine where they pay me to deliver.
“My job is result-oriented and I will work hard to get maximum points for Shabanie.”
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Masomere has found himself in a scenario akin to Moses Chunga’s when he was at Caps United playing against Dynamos.
The Green Machine faithful often accused Chunga of having a blue heart, resulting in a love-hate relationship.
What makes Sunday’s match a peculiar encounter is that Masvingo coach Saul Chaminuka was pushed out of Shabanie Mine by the club’s fans at the end of April after only two games in charge.
And it could be time for Chaminuka to make the Chinda Boys fans rue their move as he intends to pile up Shabanie Mine’s relegation woes.
In the five games he has been in charge at Maglas Stadium, Masomere’s reign has yielded seven points out of a possible 15.
He could be forced once again to play central defender Zvenyika Makonese as a striker as his squad remains injury-plagued.
Midfielders Tawanda Mareya and Rowen Nenzou as well as former Highlanders striker Tarisai Rukanda have been ruled out of Sunday’s match due to injuries.
Shabanie Mine had only one substitute on the bench in their last match against Monomotapa where they won 1-0 with Makonese on target.
