Mapeza bemoans short PSL break

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The former Warriors coach, speaking to NewsDay Sport after his side overcame Cranborne Bullets 1-0 in Mutare on Saturday, questioned the wisdom of giving players such a short break yet there was room for them to rest longer.

BY TAWANDA TAFIREYIKA FC PLATINUM coach Norman Mapeza has slammed the Premier Soccer League (PSL)’s decision to take only a two-week break saying a longer break would have been ideal.

The topflight league management announced that the league would take a two-week break after the weekend games and resume on June 25.

The former Warriors coach, speaking to NewsDay Sport after his side overcame Cranborne Bullets 1-0 in Mutare on Saturday, questioned the wisdom of giving players such a short break yet there was room for them to rest longer.

He said that since the league was taking a two-week break, players would only get a week’s rest before getting back to training.

“The decision to go on a two-week break does not make sense. What’s the rush? Where are we rushing to? If we break for two weeks then what? They should have given us the whole of June and then we come back in the first week of July. Imagine I am giving them (players) a break after this game and they have to come back on the 14th,” Mapeza said.

Traditionally, the PSL season has a cramped schedule due to national team commitments.

However, with Zimbabwe suspended from international football engagements by world soccer governing body Fifa over government interference in the running of Zifa affairs, the PSL season will have no such disruptions this time around.

The teams are left with 17 matches each, but they will also participate in the Chibuku Super Cup which will also be played in a mini-league format like the last edition.

FC Platinum, who had a sluggish start to the season after the club overhauled the squad that won the title to embark on a new project with largely a youthful pool of players, closed the gap to within a point of log leaders Chicken Inn with a victory over Cranborne Bullets.

The platinum miners put together four straight wins against Caps United, Yadah, Triangle and Cranborne Bullets.

Their last defeat was against Herentals on April 30.

Mapeza maintained that the objective was to continue building the team and that grinding results as they are currently doing was crucial.

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