Zifa Northern Region Division One side Harare City’s expected celebrations for winning the sole ticket to the Premier League have been put on hold, after the league’s executive yesterday postponed all weekend fixtures to next week.
Harare City were set to play the biggest and probably the most important game of their four- year existence against struggling Eiffel Flats at Dzivarasekwa Stadium tomorrow, in a match a win could have guaranteed them top-flight football next season.
However, the City Fathers who lead the log table with 48 points, one ahead of DStv Rangers going into the last match of the season, will have to wait for another seven days before their watershed game.
Black Rhinos and Mwana Africa are tied on third position with 46 points while fifth placed La Liga on 45 points are mathematically still in it, although they will need a miracle to win steal the title ahead of the leading teams.
While at least five teams are still fancying their chance to win the ticket to the Promised Land, it is Harare City who will go into battle next week holding all the aces.
Harare City just needs to win their match and their dream which started four years ago, will come true. Club chief administrator James Chitsa yesterday said although the task ahead of his team looks surmountable, he has warned his players against complacency.
“Like you rightly said, this is our most important game of the season, or maybe the biggest match since the club was formed.
“We have to win this match at all cost and from that reason alone, people might think we are under pressure. It will be a very big match for us, no doubt about that, but we are not under pressure.
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“We will treat it the same way we have been playing other games all season. Obviously there is a lot of excitement within the club because if we win this match we will be in the Premier League.
But we will have to maintain our cool throughout the 90 minutes and then celebrate after the match,” said Chitsa.
Harare City started as Zinwa in 2008 and played for two seasons in the first tier division before changing their name to Harare City.
The team struggled in their first season after the rebranding, but came strongly last season where they led the title race until midseason when coach Arthur Tutani left the club.
Bigboy Mawiwi then took over to complete the season on fourth position.
However, Mawiwi who has led Circle United and Gunners into the Premiership before, had an improved season this year and next weekend could yet again prove to be another milestone for the underrated gaffer. With one foot into the Premiership, Harare City will only have themselves to curse if they fail to make it this time around.
