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FC Platinum claim Zvishavane Derby 7 rights

Sport
The Zvishavane Derby between FC Platinum and Shabanie Mine on Saturday at Mandava had all the ingredients of a humdinger from the start.

PLAYED with passion, heart-stopping moves and in front of a full house and served with three sweet goals, the Zvishavane Derby between FC Platinum and Shabanie Mine on Saturday at Mandava had all the ingredients of a humdinger from the start. WELLINGTON TONI

At the end of the day, the contest was decided by a comeback performance by Platinum. Xolani Ncube had scored a gem of a header in the first half to give Shabanie the lead.

But Qadr Amini brought the house down with a stunning left footer from outside the box and it was left to Zambian international Aaron Katebe to settle matters with a sliced goal to give the green and white army the derby spoils-all the goals delivered from the sweet foot of Raymond Sibanda.

Mamelodi Sundowns coach Pitso Mosimane was part of the crowd and was kept on the edge of the seat as the teams exchanged blows in a flawless 93 minutes.

“I am very happy to be here, I enjoyed the game and the level of competition and the spirit of the fans. I saw some good football today.

“The compact stadium, the supporters, the noise, the vibe is just awesome. This derby is just more or less similar to the Tshwane derby,” Mosimane said after the match.

The Tshwane Derby is contested between Sundowns and SuperSport United.

There is no doubt that Shabanie Mine is the best supported team in this bustling Midlands town, their supporters are just too passionate, loudmouths who believe the new kids on the block are threatening their status in the town.

They outnumbered their FC Platinum counterparts by thousands, but at the end of the day, it was their opponents that were painting the town red in celebration.

The major difference between the two is that Shabanie is struggling financially — SMM Holdings is not operationally since Mutumwa Mawere too flight to South Africa — that has affected almost every aspect to do with the livelihoods of Shabanie Mine.

Shabanie Mine is surviving from hand to mouth and they know that next Sunday, the return leg will be a big pay day for them.

A number of businessmen in the town and dealers gather whatever they can get to keep the team running and on Saturday, a former Shabanie Mine son, now based in Botswana, had donated a beautiful maroon and white warm up kit to the club. This is a team that will definitely not die, judging by the

support they have from the fans and should, by some stroke of luck, SMM reopen, the intensity and rivalry will just grow.

For FC Platinum, they have the financial muscle on and off the field of play via parent owners Mimosa Mining Company — a platinum mine — and their commercial ventures and can get any player they want.

Last year, BancABC saw it first hand when they hosted their final at Mandava Stadium between the two sides, while NetOne had enjoyed their fair share earlier in the year when the Charity Shield was staged there.

This derby has surpassed any Bulawayo Derby — there is no more Zimbabwe Saints in the City of Kings to rattle the memories of their yesteryear battles against Highlanders. Chicken Inn, How Mine and Bantu Rovers are not yet at the level of Chikwata.

And the Zvishavane Derby this weekend, arguably matched the Harare Derby between Dynamos and Caps United.

When 15 000 fans can pay to watch the match even when the lowest ticket costs $5, it tells you how passionate this rivalry is.

When Dynamos and Caps United fans are crying foul over proposals to increase gate charges from $3 to $5, it tells you something, this Zvishavane Derby is getting bigger by each match and this Sunday’s return leg is likely to be even more intense.

Zvenyika Makonese, at the ripe old age of 37, was playing in his first derby and he put in a hearty performance at the centre of the Shabanie defence, but endurance was the winner for FC Platinum as they kept pushing.

The goals were always coming as from all the set-pieces that FC Platinum earned, Shabanie number one Victor Twaliki failed to have clean catches and one such act in the second half led to Amini’s stunning equaliser.

When Sibanda delivered another corner later in the second half, Twaliki decided not to go for it, and Katebe sliced home.

Shabanie can also feel they were hard done by referee Munyaradzi Majoni, who disallowed their second goal, claiming an offside after Ncube’s opener. It was too close to call and it left Shabanie fans bitter as their team went on to lose.

At the end of the match, FC Platinum players paid tribute to club president George Mawere, hoisting him in the air in celebrating.

Six days from today, the return leg will take place this at Maglas, the oldest and mostly populated suburb in the town and it’s certainly not a match to miss.