AFTER spending huge in the last player transfer window, Harare City Football Club were expected to be early contenders for the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League title, but they have had a slow start to the campaign.
BY HENRY MHARA
On Wednesday, City clash with FC Platinum at Rufaro Stadium in a rescheduled league fixture. The other midweek fixture will see Chapungu host ZPC Kariba at Ascot Stadium in Gweru.
But there is no doubt the biggest clash of the two is the one in the capital, between two sides who have benefited heavily from the investments of their owners and now have some of the best players at their disposal.
Harare City, who made almost a complete overhaul of the team from the technical bench downwards, have managed just five points from a possible 12 with one win, one loss and two draws recorded in their first four matches. They have managed a point against league debutants Tsholotsho and Whawha, losing 1-0 to the former in their league opener before they were held by the latter 1-1. The Sunshine City Boys were beaten 2-0 by Chicken Inn before a goalless draw against How Mine in their last match, a poor return for the club who spent so much in the pre-season, including hiring highly-rated coach Taurai Mangwiro, who came in with his entire backroom staff.
Big-name signings that the club made include Tendai Samanja and Themba Ndlovu, both Soccer Star of the Year finalists last season, Nicholas Alifandika, Honey Chimutimunzeve, Tafadzwa Dube, Munacho Chinembeza, and Lincoln Zvasiya as well as two former Chemhanza High School students Tatenda Elvis Tumba and Tatenda Munditi. On the other hand, Platinum did not spend much in the off-season only bringing in Brian Muzondiwa, Wellington Kamudyariwa and Emmanuel Mandiranga and promoting Nigel Papias from the juniors, preferring to change their modus operandi and focus on juniors.
After a strong finish to last season which saw them winning the Chibuku Super Cup and completing a top-four finish in the league, whose reward was Caf Confederations Cup participation, the Zvishavane-based side were expected to build up from that. One win, two defeats and a draw in the league sandwich a 5-2 aggregate loss to Tanzanian side Young Africans in the Caf Confederations Cup.
FC Platinum have four points from four matches, just a point from a team that is occupying relegation cut-off point, after beating Flame Lily 3-0, drawing 2-2 against Dongo at home and losing 1-0 to Caps United and 3-1 to a well-oiled Chicken Inn side.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
The Platinum hierarchy is not panicking, but has appealed for calm and their fans have publicly backed coach Norman Mapeza to rediscover the club’s winning formula.
