VIOLENCE...the bits and pieces each of us can do..

The Bosso-Dembare match has come and gone. Of all the after effects of this epic clash, violence once again showed its ugly head and a few kilometres away from BF, a life in the name of Thembinkosi Hloli was lost. My take on violence is that it must not be looked at in isolation just as a Highlanders and Dynamos problem.

 

A holistic approach to it is needed. I have witnessed violence not only at BF, but also at Mucheke, Rimuka, Tsholotsho and at Fairbridge. What needs to be addressed is not the result of it or the source, rather we should look at what causes violence in football stadia.

 

For a start I believe the fines the clubs are paying for violent misconduct of supporters will not in any way deter hooligans from throwing missiles in future, simply because the hooligans are not directly affected. The $2000 fine will come from the clubs and not the guys who threw empty bottles, who 99% of the times, came in free of charge, thanks to the corruption at the turnstiles.

Here proposed are a few measures for the Castle Lager PSL to adopt:
1. The PSL must move in with speed and introduce a seasonal ticketing system that does not only guarantee you entry but also a specific seat in the stadium. Once you are caught throwing missiles, your ticket must be cancelled and your seat as well.

The other benefit here is that a random seating system will demystify the issue of supporters seating according to camps. I have seen Kaiser Chiefs supporters seated next to Orlando Pirates fans. Also an identified hooligan must face the law and be banned from football.

2. PSL and referees must act seriously on players who incite violence through (a) provokative goal celebration. (b) feigning of injuries. (c)) mobbing of match officials by technical team etc. This is how Europe and England particularly have tammed hooliganism. Provocation and insinuation are biggest sources of violence.

3. Monitoring of perfomance of match officials by the relevant committee.

4. Club Marshals must be well equipped through radio communication to aid the police to flush out and identify any possible troublemakers.

5. A proffesional police force that does not pride itself in teargas, but in good crowd control measures. Police should also not be supporters, at least for 90 minutes, not only face the crowd, but be within the crowds as well.

Historically, the use of teargas and antiriot dogs invokes bad memories in any society and as police can be sure to meet some missiles thrown back at them in frustration.

6. The stadia should be evacuation-friendly for players and fans. This will lessen the tendency to use teargas to disperse people as not everyone is a hooligan and as such must be protected.

7. TOLERANCE...worst case scenario, I should be my brother's keeper and ensure he is not a hooligan.

8. Supporter education by both clubs and PSL is necessary. Football is only a sport with 3 possible outcomes and such messages have to hit the fans through sms platforms, Tv and newspaper adverts. Police, team leaders, captains and supporters must be used in this drive.

9. Clubs must embrace supporters associations. One benefit of such groups is that they tend to do things as a group. This includes sitting in one bay together as a chapter. It becomes easy therefore for supporters to control and identify bad apples amongst themselves e.t.c. I belong to a Highlanders Facebook group that does not tolerate nonsense among its members. Errant members are either blocked or reprimanded.

These are but a few measures to help curb this ugly monster called violence in football. (By Victor November.)

The late Thembinator Hloli has since been laid to rest, with Bosso supporters through the said Facebook group assisting with cash, kind, a Vuvuzela for our deceased brother and a BIG Bosso flag with a farewell message specifically dedicated to him.The flag covered his coffin from his Sizinda home to his final resting place in Lower Gwelo.

The whole Highlanders FC team led by Ndumiso Gumede , Kelvin Kaindu, Mike Mathe and captain Innocent Mapuranga had descended upon Hloli family home to pay their last respects to my beloved fan. Gumede preached the gospel of oneness and peace.

Is this not supposed to be the beautiful game? Hoping to hear your opinions about what the world should do to curb football violence.

Highlanders loses 0-1 to Dynamos and drops from the top

An over-psyched Highlanders FC faced a very nervous Dynamos in a Castle Lager Premier League match at Barbourfields Stadium, hoping to rectify a crooked record dating to 2006 against the arch-rivals. An immense amount of pressure in the first half counted for naught as Bosso fell to a sucker-punch just after a second half restart.

With less than 30 seconds played, Charles Sibanda set up Njabulo Ncube who took weak shot from close range. That chance came from left wing after fine run by the league’s best striker, who delivered a perfect cross for Ncube to squander. The match proved to be a good passing game by both sides, Highlanders taking the initiative to create and fluff golden chances due to pressure to perform against their nemesis.

The Bosso wingbacks exposed themselves to Dembare attacks as they flooded forward, but the coach rectified the situation by pushing midfielders wide and kept the defenders put. Generally, both teams’ first touches lacked quality and exposed the players to possible injuries and bad decision-making. The many long balls proved fatal as strikers wrestled with defenders to control the balls.

Picking up of the second ball was dominated by Mantengwane. Sibanda played an extremely mobile type of football, spurning glorious chances to bury the opposition. Calisto Pasuwa replaced Mbimba who failed to catch up with the pace and the rhythm of the game by Murape Murape. That move was the game changer and the tonic of the game that the visitors wanted.

Mapuranga was fried by his man on the left wing, let a cross come through into the box. Kangwa controlled the ball for Mutumwa to stab the ball from under the crossbar. That goal was enough to compound a miserable period in which Highlanders collected two out of twelve points.

Despite previous dropped points, Highlanders kept the top spot, but the defeat at home lowered them to third and it can be worse in the next few days. Despite an avalanche of clear-cut chances and a lion’s share of possession, Kelvin Kaindu’s boys flattered to deceive and came off with nothing.

The Zambian coach came under excessive pressure as fans began to blame him, his tactics and substitutions. The missed chances were squarely placed on his shoulders as the general of the team. Among the various schools of thought, the team’s predictability of the same style of play and formation le to an approach every team expected from Bosso.

A direct blame of inability to read the game and useless subbing times and material led the Bulawayo giant faithfuls to take stock of how they could turn a record of nine losses and seven draw in the two clubs’ last 16 matches.

There is even polite advise for Kelvin Kaindu, that this was due time to pack the bags as he had tried his best which was seen as not enough. One fan praised his professionalism, believing that the gaffer sees the need to hand the button to a man with new tactics and ideas.

Kaindu received criticism of removing an ‘attacking box to box player in Manhanga’ with a defensive midfielder in Ndiweni when the team needed offensive power. The criticism extended to the reliance of the misfiring Njabulo Ncube, a tool whose antidote was a three men central defence.

The bitter pill to swallow, despite the loss of the points, the drop from the log summit and losing a match to direct rivals, is that the loss was to Dynamos. Winning the championship starts with victory over fellow contenders.

The biggest argument came when many defended him for assembling a good team that failed to convert easy chances and conceded the softest goal. Many think he should be coaching boys basic technique at senior level as others thought Sibanda and Njabulo should know what to do by now.

The truth, all emotion aside, is that technique training starts at the age of 6 and ontinues throughout the career of the professional. At this stage of the league, it should be forming a great part of the sessions. However, even the best have a bad day. If that day came against Dynamos, who is there to take the blame but the coach.

Kaindu has few men at his corner. Those baying for his blood do not know what they are talking about. The bearers of that thought based it on the unfortunate players who failed to convert chances that Kaindu drilled them through in training. The perpetrators were the players and KK the victim. The players let the coach down.

The tense and desperate situation created by the loss brought to the fore the fact that the buck stopped with the coach as no coach ever saved his job by arguing that players are missed chances. Despite the good effort in today’s match, the players’ lacked the die-hard spirit resulting in faulting and lapse in concentration.

Taking a punch in the chin and accepting defeat because the players failed to take chances never went well with many who looked at this one opportunity that looked promising until that fateful kick that punished an otherwise better team in terms of possession.

The day’s victors leapfrogged Bosso together with league debutants, ZPC Kariba FC, as Highlanders’ goal drought steadily swells to four matches. The superstitious began to blame the ground against Dynamos as it became the Harare’s fruitful ground, while others think that Saturday never favoured the black and white outfit side. There could be truth that an opportunity to take Dynamos to Luveve where they have always lost could have brought different results.

The saddest part of that game, was that it had become a fixture charged with emotion and the stakes became higher given the connotations of the results. At whatever level and for whatever reason, a match against Dynamos is bigger than the rewards. Any coach entrusted with the club has a fans mandate to beat Dynamos.

That failure to do so suddenly makes Kaindu a bad coach. The available players performed below par in crucial areas and at vital moments, as any play can have a bad day, and in this case, a single moment.

The desperate nature of the desired result makes the next fixture against the champions even harder for Kaindu or his successor. The players will try harder and fare dismally. To add salt to injury, the fans will be frustrated and throw missiles in the ground and cause fines that will milk the club dry.

That alone will incapacitate the club to get better players and increased performances to dismantle the Dynamos machine. If fans and supporters can throw missiles in the field of play, surely, players are entitled to miss those chances. If that barbarism is cool, what crime is there in not scoring a goal?

Barcelona’s Tiki Taka program to benefit Zimbabwean football?

Barcelona coaches came to Zimbabwe to run a two-day coaching clinic or seminar starting today in Harare, courtesy of Castle Lager, the league sponsors. The timely intervention to the deteriorating league game is a two day event expected to equip the Premier League coaches and other mentors from around the country.

Attending the clinic will be one thing, while implementation is another. The Zimbabwean Castle Lager Premier League match between Dynamos and Caps United yesterday proved a little better than their appalling clash in the NetOne sponsored One Wallet. Despite immaturity in decision-making and tactical awareness, the players from both teams played direct football, launching the ball forward. This clinic may help.

This eyesore of a game has some positives as it gets the ball into the penalty box very quickly and early enough before the opponents settle and shut the door. To complement the numerous raids, the strikers take these opportunities with decisive feet and score goals.

What makes it more interesting is that the shooting is taken quickly on sight. There is no time to control and think twice. This catches the goalkeepers unawares. This instinctive and predatory behaviour requires execution of technique under excessive pressure, therefore perfecting high-level skills.

With a slower version of the South African game, the Zimbabweans find the ABSA Premier League a free scoring assignment. These players benefit two things by playing the high-tempo kick and run game. It teaches them to defend efficiently by reducing time and space for the opponents and dispatching the ball quickly.

The other valuable lesson comes at the other end of the field, where the strikers learn to pounce on the less suspecting defenders and score before the goalkeepers have positioned themselves. They learn to deal with the ball very decisively and quickly under pressure and finish well. Doing these things in competitive matches prepares the individuals to be quick and versatile.

The problem is that the midfield creativity is eliminated. This launching and shelling game, the defenders work excessively, causing the central and defensive midfielders to withdraw to assist in the defending. You may associate this with the great central defenders that league has been producing lately.

By-passing the centre of the park makes these matches very ugly and uninspiring. It is this kind of football that characterised Division One matches when I coached in that country. The reasons for playing that way included the very bad bumpy surfaces we played in and the poor refereeing as the hometown decisions were the order of the day. The strategies required to clonk the ball away from the 18-yard box and send in into the other 18-yard area to avoid bizarre penalty calls.

That negative side in the top league emanates from the promotion and relegation mechanism. With just 16 teams in the top league, Zimbabwe has a massive 32 team Division One divided into four regions. The league demotes four teams and promotes four. That is the source of their problems.

The league relegates reasonably experienced teams while extremely diluting the game with mediocre quality from lower leagues. That league requires an additional two teams to make it an 18-team league. The country needs to restructure the game completely, ask the sponsors to double the funds for the Premier League to carry Division One football under its wings.

The PSL would need only two streams of the First Division where the winners go up and the bottom two PSL teams facing the chop. The national association currently administer the four Division One leagues and they promised the winners top-flight football. The Castle Lager Premier League only prepared to accept two teams and relegate two, but that did not pass.

The status quo will not last long. One hopes that the Barcelona coaching seminar will bring in the sense of Tiki Taka to that country’s game. It will never wipe away the blasting of the balls, but the prospect of the combination of the two styles will win Zimbabwean clubs the Africa Champions League and the Warriors the AFCON.

What do you think?

How Orlando Pirates beat Kaizer Chiefs to win Carling Black Label Cup

The first Soweto derby of the season, the Carling Black Label played at the FNB Stadium proved that South African football is on the ascendance. This pre-season tournament, now in its fourth year, got fans to vote for their preferred starting eleven players from both Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates.

Without Simphiwe Tshabalala, Bernand Parker and Knowledge Musona through injuries, Chiefs brought in Willard Katsande replacing Simphiwe Tshabalala, Katlego Mphela and Kingston Nkhatha to the starting line-up.

The match needed 18 kicks from the penalty spot to decide the winner after the 0-0 fulltime stalemate. Let us say, 19 kicks, as George Maluleka missed the regulation time penalty that was awarded to George Lebese when Rooi Mahamutsa felled him wide on the right. Maluleka had to hit the same spot twice, the left top corner of the cross bar.

Chiefs controlled the first half, while Pirates displayed a very mature brand of football. If that match was anything to go by, the local game grew by leaps and bounds. The passing, ball control and decision making was excellent.  

Both teams took particular shapes and each unit engaging the opposite in direct confrontation and combat seen in the 2014 Brazil Fifa World Cup. The ball moved from the back into the midfield and passed through to the final third. The players showed a lot of trust in their teammate’s abilities by passing and supporting the player in case they needed an outlet to pass the ball.

To match the daring passing, the ball control surpassed the expectation as the midfield battles saw players turned and ran with the ball in a congested area looking for spaces in the attacking third. This exhibition by both teams excited the crowds and coaches alike; however, the conclusion of the attacks never matched the moves from behind through the preparation zone.

The wing play and penetration into the final third became the point of weakness of the whole match by both teams. The ball was never played wide often enough, and in rare moment that the ball was played to crossing areas, it was done very late with defenders already in good defending areas.

The Chiefs defence kept their line and shape and easily thwarted each attack from Pirates. Given that it is the beginning of the season, defensive and midfield work takes priority, as much as physical conditioning. The teams showed exceptional quick passing and ball control skills. The interception by both sets of defenders proved sharp enough as they blocked each other’s attack completely restricting the entire match to less than 3 shots on target for each team.

One hopes that the Zimbabwean football fraternity watched and took notes of how the game should be played. There is no need to photocopy the whole match, but the concept of the game should fundamentally be followed. Highlanders, How Mine, Dynamos and Caps United of the Castle Lager Premier League played a close resemblance of the game.

Pirates and Chiefs did not play the way the Dutch or Germany played, but it showed they followed the modern trends of the game. If the rest of the ABSA Premier League teams and the National First Division follow the same pattern, the South African football can be said to have come of age. One hopes that it only gets better.

Highlanders lose crucial points to Bantu as Dynamos blast Caps

Highlanders Football Club failed to score for the first time at Barbourfields Stadium this season when they locked horns with city rivals, Bantu Rovers. Bosso played a subdued match, coming under excessive pressure in a match many consider the fading giant lucky to come out with a point.

Bantu Rovers did their homework and dominated the match as they exploited the left wing where Bosso were found wanting. The Highlanders defence fought hard to deal with a Bantu striker and could not construct a move to open their opponents defence. The stalemate favoured Bantu as it was a point gained while Amahlolanyama would consider two points lost.

Dynamos came from behind to score twice in the second half. Caps United had taken an early lead but failed to stretch that lead out of reach for the Harare rivals. The Green Machine wasted numerous first half chances and they were punished in the later stages of the match.

It took a few minutes for the equaliser to come as poor marking characterised Caps defence. The goalkeeper was also at fault as he came off the goal-line for an acrobatic atempt to fly past his head.

Lack of pressure on the ball and lousy marking sealed the Dembare victory as a deflected shot was not cleared by the defenders. The second attempt whistled past the goalkeeper into the net to seal the victory.

Highlanders’ lead on the  Castle Lager Premier Soccer League table was reduced to a single point.

The Zimbabwe football is horrible, terrible

The Zimbabwean football is horrible. Terrible. At the beginning of the Castle Lager Premier League season, I went and watched a league match, a third round clash of a team that was runners-up to the champions twice in a row, playing against well-assembled debutants with an experienced coach, at their home-ground. Weeks later, I watched a televised One Wallet Cup matches when the cream of the country battled it out for a health kitty. What a nightmare, and I am not talking about the embarrassing torn goal nets.

It could be that I made comparisons between the recent 2014 Fifa World Cup matches and the Castle Lager League matches in question, but Oh boy! Even then, I watched South African third division matches in between and I could get the sense that the boys were young and amateurish in their approach but tactically mature.

Highlanders, Dynamos and Caps United are the country’s finest. How Mine are newbies but they traded blows with the continent’s best in the CAF championships. First, it was Highlanders and How Mine playing football on a bad pitch. Both teams hit the ball on sight. They ballooned and blasted the ball around to any direction. They ran, huffed and puffed.

One can advocate for such behaviour in the defensive areas, where you are forgiven to believe that anywhere away from the goal is good enough. That type of football tactics in the preparation zone can never be on. Highlanders midfielders failed to control the ball in midfield. They could not pass the ball to the next available person. Off the ball, they never peeled off from their markers to free themselves. Ball control was a big handicap.

The direct ball from the goalkeeper and the defence to the attacking penalty area characterised How Mine’s game. They tried to pick up a tall striker they did not have. Even with very tall Peter Crouch or Nikola Zigic, that type of play in a top league anywhere in the world is illegal. Vision, accuracy, penetration and decision-making were non-existent.

Dynamos and Caps United also played the type of football that Argentina needed to play in Italia ’90 when they had the racing Cladio Canigia. What was positive about Dembare vs Kepekepe fixture was that, they had the strength and condition to kick long and hard. The ball bounced high from the hard and dry ground, and the players jumped and duelled positively to head the ball.

The match lacked the time and space to control the ball and play it on the ground between teammates. That killed all tactical behaviour of both teams and turned into a very tight and competitive kick and run contest. The two teams spent the afternoon with their eyes elevated to the skies looking at the ball, hoping it would drop next to them. Physios must have attended to many neck injuries.

At one point, it was compelling to assume the teams were playing tricks on the spectators and the TV cameras. What bothered that line of thought was the enthusiasm and energy by which that was being implemented.

Playing a match at full speed without much thought in trying to pry open the opposition threw out of the window the concept of football being an invasion game. Armies never approach war that way. Not all weapons are clandestinely tossed with abandon to the enemies.

One great army general of all time, Shaka Zulu, employed in his warfare two famous strategies relevant to the game. His protective shield was long enough to do its job yet being portable. The spear was redesigned to be short enough to stab. This single aspect meant that the war was literally taken to the enemy. The spears were not hurled to the enemy as that restocked enemy resources and arsenal.

Shaka ensured that his army’s inventory after each attack remained intact. The soldiers reported back with a full complement of the shield and the assegai to initiate the next attack. To make his point, he killed his own men, if they lost any or both.

The second well-known tactical set-up of the strategy was the cow-horn formation. Meant to surprise the enemies, he had the front pathfinders who got the attention of the enemies. The right and left wings encircled the opposition and the whole force pressed in from the front middle and butchered them.

That is the exact concept of playing the game of football. The two matches in question never tried to recreate that scenario. That lack of patterns, patience and plan made it a terrible spectacle. There may be factors that influenced the performances. League encounters may be a different kettle of fish when compared to Cup games and tournaments.  

The standard of the game in Zimbabwe may be deteriorating, because I have watched games from that country during the days of Joel Shambo, Stix Mutizwa, Shaky Tauro and Stanley Ndunduma of Caps United. These played found time to juggle the ball under the monitor of tough defenders like Alexander Maseko, Francis Shonhayi and Sunday Marimo. Shakeman scored with ease and accuracy of the highest level under immense pressure.

Highlanders had great players who played excellent fast, passing football in the likes of Willard Khumalo, Makheyi Nyathi, Benjamin Nkonjera and Madinda Ndlovu. Khumalo was known as the galloping General as he shielded the ball, galloped twice or thrice before making an incisive pass. Dynamos played with great confidence when they had Memory Mucherawowa, Clayton Munemo, Kenneth Jere and the like. They ran rings around teams and controlled matches at will. It may not be fair to make that comparison given that it was a different era, but from that point on, one expected ascendancy.

Zimbabwe has the best quality of players in Central and Southern Africa. The individuals are well groomed and motivated to perform, though not as cultured as the Zambians and the Congolese. That is why from George Nechironga, Gilbert Mushangazhike, Benjamin Mwariwaru to Tinashe Nengomashe, Ezrom Nyandoro, Knowledge Musona and Cheche Billiart, we have seen the best of Zimbabwean players influencing the direction of the South African football.

What then is the problem of the pathetic showing? Methinks the coaching has gone down. The best left the country for ventures in Botswana, Swaziland and overseas. Others left the game altogether. It is never easy for the current crop of coaches to access the resources to utilise latest technique training and follow tactic trends.

Their game gets amateurish frequently and rapidly as desperate players seek to attract attention for contracts outside the borders by trying to be too individualistic. The dire economic situation means there is no money for anything. The football administration lacks quality leadership as the thin corporate world shuns associating with perceived corruption at club level.

Is there a way out? Maybe not out, but for sure there is a way forward. That country recently held a CAF A Licence that they claimed I could not qualify for, being a foreigner. (CAF is for Africans, which is why Namibia enrolled me for one CAF Licence without all the drama.) The training of coaches brings the level playing ground for all teams as the standardised training and implementation of modern methods serves the league.

The country has to identify the philosophy and style of play to be followed by schools, the youth and the top tier teams. The clubs and their owners need to understand that the ‘winning at all cost’ mentality will never help their teams but will surely kill their football completely. Booting the ball all over the show in fear of playing proper football dries the spectatorship levels in the stadia and television. Sponsors will pull the plugs on the existing deals and those outside will never wish to associate with the game.

Sponsors want to associate with a quality product that consumers appreciate and get attracted to. Unfortunately, players running for the same ball, bumping into each other and falling down after clashes, rising from the fall and then blasting the ball to another set of players to do the same cannot be appetising. It is worse if the ball is completely missed as players hit air balloons.

At the midway stage of the league, the Castle Lager Premier League should be showing signs of maturity with players stepping on the ball, picking up teammates with pinpoint passes, neat overlaps and third man runs. The clear plan to achieve an objective must be there for all to see. Goal creation and intent must obviously be priority at club level before anyone laments about the national team. At least, for now, the league top striker has netted 10 times with 50% of the matches to go.

One South African observer claimed that the cream of Zimbabwean players is in South Africa. That does not hold much water because from my observation, RSA televised Varsity football proved a notch better. Many players in that league play in the SAB League, a division three platform, which is a fourth tier league of the country. Those players are not technical close to the Zimbabweans, but they are tactically superior.

The game is in the intensive care unit and a lot needs to be done there. Albert Einstein once said, 'Great spirits have always encountered violent opposition from mediocre minds', but a spade is a spade and let the work begin.

Highlanders beat Rangers 2-0

Highlanders beat  Blue Rangers  2 - 0 but has just missed winning the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League championship this year by two points after Dynamos draw 1-1 with Hardbody this afternoon in Gweru.
Bosso were chasing their first title since 2006 and agonisingly came close with a show and a season to be proud of after so many heartaches. It was a season that signalled good things to come.

Amahlolanyama surprised all and sundry by providing four players to the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League Soccer Star of the Year Award finalists list as Chicken Inn, their Bulawayo neighbours, also produced another shocker following the inclusion of their winger, Felix Chindungwe, into the top league's 2012 crème de la crème.

Although Bosso had a remarkable season, very few soccer pundits would have imagined the league title-chasing team providing the highest number of finalists by a single club in this year's edition of the premier soccer awards.

A selection panel comprised of 44 soccer experts was tasked with coming up with the list. Goalkeeper Ariel Sibanda, midfielder Mthulisi Maposa, Innocent Mapuranga and striker Masimba Mambare all made it into the final 11.

This is the first time in the history of the club that four players were named as soccer star finalists in a single season, even during their four-year reign as league champions between 1998 and 2002.

The inclusion in the top 11 of Chicken Inn's Chindungwe, whose name even drew blanks in the minds of many football experts that constituted the selection panel, left a lot of unanswered questions as regards the credibility of those that are tasked with coming up with the list of the league's best players.

It is widely believed that the selection process is flawed with the selection in most cases being based on regional lines. Adam Ndlovu, the Chicken Inn coach, was even surprised that two of his players had actually made it into the final 11.

"I was not expecting this to happen. In my mind, I was thinking that maybe one of my players would make it. It came as a big surprise that two of my players actually made it into the list," Ndlovu said.

With two players on the list, the fast-food-funded side provided the same number of players with title-holders and Dynamos, who had only Denver Mukamba and Partson Jaure making their way into the "A" list.

A classic administrative boob cost Tawanda Muparati a place on the country's most popular calendar after he was erroneously included among a list of players sanctioned due to the Asiagate saga only to be cleared when the voting process had already been completed.

On the other hand, Kelvin Kaindu, the Bosso gaffer, was expecting six Highlanders players to make it into the 2012 "calendar."

"We were targeting six players to make it into the list. I am, however, happy to say that we broke the club record as regards the number of players that made it into the top 11 in a single season. The players worked hard for the entire period of the season. As a team, we also got our inspiration from the Almighty God," Kaindu, a Christian who attends Victory Fel­lowship, said.

The affable Zambian, a former Highlanders player himself, was bubbling with confidence, tipping himself to be crowned the Coach of the Year.

"The statistics speak for themselves. If I had four of my players making it into the final list, it automatically means that their coach is the best in the land.

"The Coach of the Year award is mine for the taking," declared Kaindu, who would become the second non-Zimbabwean to win the award after countryman Tenant Chilumba of Hwange last year.

Kaindu is expecting his players to do even better next season.

"I am praying that I will be able to retain the majority of the players that I worked with this season. We are aiming at assembling a strong squad next year as we aim at doing even better than we did this year," Kaindu told The Sunday Mail.

Kaindu said that for Highlanders, the 2012 season, was "one to remember."

"For us, it was a great, exciting season. We are, without doubt, waiting anxiously for the next season."

Besides the unfortunate Muparati, records availed by the convenors, who included the PSL and sponsor representatives and private media houses, also wrongly indicated that the Dynamos pair of Ocean Mushure and Augustine Mbara were not eligible for selection since they were implicated in the Asiagate scandal.

Muparati was exonerated by the Independent Ethics Committee whilst it was proved Mushore had never trav­elled with Monomotapa to the Far East in the first place since he was injured during the time.

Cherishing their happiest moment in their two-year flirtation with the top-flight league, Chicken Inn are already looking forward to taking part in the African safari.

"We are aiming at a top three finish. As you are aware, Highlanders are under Caf sanctions and chances of us taking their slot as third-place finishers are high.

"I am already looking at strengthen­ing my team as I look forward to the expected continental challenges," Ndlovu said.

Full list of finalists in the 2012 Castle Lager Soccer Star of the Year Award

Rodwell Chinyengetere (Hwange), Ariel Sibanda (Highlanders), Mthulisi Maposa (Highlanders), Partson Jaure (Dynamos), Nelson Maziwisa (Sha­banie Mine), Denver Mukamba (Dynamos), Masimba Mambare (Highlanders), Innocent Mapuranga (Highlanders), Felix Chindungwe (Chicken Inn), Ronald Chitiyo (Monomotapa), Kuda Mahachi (Chicken Inn).

So near yet so far for Bosso

The final two fixtures of the Zimbabwe Castle Lager Premier League will catch special attention as Highlanders FC will play against FC Platinum whom they must beat to brighten the chances of toppling Dynamos from the table summit for a week, if the Harare giants flop.

The next Wednesday fixture is the must win for Bosso and hoping the Glamour Boys will lose their last two matches, or even one loss would suffice, provided Mantengwane also carries the last fixture.

While hard to perceive the drop of points by the reigning champions, this is football. The champions in waiting, as Bosso fancy themselves, have to win these last matches, a feat harder than going 23 matches without a loss – the record they set earlier in the season.

As much as many banked on Monomotapa doing favours to Amahlolanyama, it has proved to be a wasted hope, and that favour still exists and could be delivered by the most unlikely source.

Pessimists threw in the towel last week while optimists are waiting for the final fixture. To the positive, not even a loss on Wednesday will be a doomsday. Bosso can still take the honours if Dynamos falter twice and Tshilamoya win the last match.

The Mthulisi Maphosa and Cleopas Dube goals against Hardbody at Ascot Stadium were a fresh reminder that while the team is new, young and growing, it was capable of delivering the coveted prize. Since 2006, Bosso struggled to lay claim on the championship under the guidance of Madinda Ndlovu, Mohammed Fathi and Mkhuphali Masuku.

Highlanders could have been at the bottom half of the table as they rescued points from dying positions as shown by some of the nine draws they played this season. This is despite the size of the opposition as both Quelaton and Chicken Inn matches were either derbies or teams fighting for their lives.

However, as championship contenders, Bosso were supposed to beat Dynamos themselves and put their destiny on the driving seat. It must be said have already beaten FC Platinum 3-1 this season.


Week 29 (Wednesday Nov 14) - Highlanders vs FC Platinum (Barbourfields), Dynamos vs Buffaloes (Rufaro)
Week 30 (Sunday Nov 18) - Blue Rangers vs Highlanders (Gwanzura), Hardbody vs Dynamos (Ascot).

Highlanders and Dynamos strongly warned against BancABC

The Premier Soccer League issued a stern warning to Highlanders Football Club of Bulawayo and bitter rivals of Harare, Dynamos Football Club over receiving money or incentives dangled by the club official sponsors, BancABC who promised a winner take-all of $15000, $5000 for the first goal in 5 minutes and a man-of -the-match $1500. CEO, Kenny Ndebele advised the two clubs of the conflict of interest with league sponsors in a detailed statement below. 

We appreciate that Club Sponsors are the lifeblood of our Clubs. It is important that Sponsorship rights are allocated and shared for the benefits of all Stakeholders. Football Clubs must respect contracts entered into by the League Sponsors.

Our Sponsorship Agreement with Delta Beverages expressly states that Article 11: Competition 11.2 Premier Soccer League shall ensure that the only major league football competition running in Zimbabwe during the football season shall at all times be the Competition and it shall not introduce any competitions or football matches which might reasonably be considered to undermine the status of the Competition without prior written consent of Delta Beverages with the exception of approved knock out tournaments…

11.5 Premier Soccer League shall endeavour to ensure that matches in the Competition: 11.5.2 are recognised as Premier Soccer League matches and shall use its best endeavours to ensure that wherever possible, it does not schedule matches of a knock out or of similar nature at the same time as the Competition matches.

It is important to note that the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match between Dynamos Football Club and Highlanders Football Club shall proceed under the following conditions:

# The two teams shall play for points – three points for the winners, one point for a draw, and zero points for a loss.

# The Castle Lager Logo shall appear on all the sleeves of players shirts.

# Club Sponsors’ logo may appear on the players and officials tracksuits, warm-up shirts and bibs.

# No prize money shall be paid to clubs, players and officials, before, during or after the match.

# No club sponsors’ T-shirts, flags, scarves, bibs or other paraphernalia is to be distributed inside and outside the stadium, before, during and after the match.

If the clubs fail to comply with the instruction, the League will have no alternative but to cancel the match. Further, the League will withhold the full Castle Lager Premier Soccer League prize money of the defaulting Club(s). Such prize money shall be forfeited to the League.

The Castle Lager Premier Soccer League would like to advise all its members to ensure that they fully comply with the League’s Sponsorship Agreements, the PSL Constitution, Rules and Regulations and other relevant statutes in order to avoid conflicts.

We trust that the Clubs will guide and advise their commercial partners accordingly. We categorically state that the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League enjoys good and cordial relations with all its stakeholders hence our mission to develop elite football and promote the PSL brand for the benefits of its members and stakeholders through competitions, programmes and activities.”

Whichever way, the two teams have better fish to fry. There is 3 points separating the potential champions, Bosso needing the victory to stay in contention while Dembare will be looking to securing the deal. Stakes aside, it still remains the biggest fixture north of Limpopo and both are on a mission to dislodge the other's claim as the domestic power-houses of Zimbabwean football.