Highlanders versus Dynamos red card - too much farce about nothing

(Highlanders and Dynamos rivalry that never ends)

We live in very interesting times with all the unfortunate situations popping up from various sources with unclear intentions but obvious consequences.

To start with, football is a game played under a set of laws and unlike other sports who have rules. And there is a difference between laws and rules.

It must be noted that football is run by the custodians of the game in any given territory, and as an association sport, members who play it, do form that association as they associated.

Those who associated, participate in a league in which they have rules and regulations governing that particular competition. The referee enforces the law at all times and his decisions are final. It is always about his own opinion.

Highlanders and Dynamos played a 1-1 draw over the weekend in a match where one Dynamos player was dismissed (red-carded) for dangerous play. Here we will only use football language. 

Highlanders, like Dynamos, play football under the auspices of association football and are members of Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA), but playing in the competition sanctioned by ZIFA, called the Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League (ZPSL).

ZIFA and ZPSL have competitions and these competitions have the rules governing them and are clear to both parties. Of course, somewhere along the way ther is either a fol, a clown or a vicitm.

One must note that the associations of each territory come together as equal members of an international body called FIFA. FIFA has a special body governing the laws of the game, the IFAB (International Football Association Board).

According to IFAB, only special members can make special decisions outside the field of play. Otherwise, the referee's decisions are final at all times.

This is the reason why the English Premier League can look at the incidents on video and make decisions according. That special dispensation is not common to all members.

One reason for its acceptance in England and possibly a few more members now is that technology available leaves no doubt about anything, as there are multiple cameras to view the same incident.

All said and done, there are always impartial committees to review each incident weekly. These uninterested parties are experts in what they do, in terms of laws and technology.

In the matter at hand, Zimbabwe Referees Committee (ZRC) chairman happens to be the Zimbabwe Football Association chairperson, Philip Chiyangwa. He is a known Dynamos sympathiser.

The question arises as to why he got involved in a Zimbabwe Premier League matter, as the competition is not a ZIFA baby?

ZIFA cannot find themselves handling an appeal from any team for a competition they do not run unless the case has been escalated to that level. To nullify the red card shown to Dynamos striker Christian Epoupa Ntouba on Sunday at Rufaro Stadium shows some form of football illiteracy.

There are few red lights here, given that ZIFA had decided to overrule referee Arnold Ncube's decision without giving reasons and that Dynamos Richard Chihoro said that they had not appealed at all.

Whether it was a Chiyangwa or ZIFA decision, it is a mad decision. Either way, it must be sought to clarify under what condition and auspices such decision was made, like the members present and their capacities.

It must be noted that whether that seating had video analysis and made their decisions made by their opinions of the incident, their opinion does not matter. How many times do people view the same thing for years and fail to agree on the right outcome?

If the referees made the wrong decisions, such committees must not reverse the decisions but either train their personnel or punish the perpetrators. And in any case, there is not a single qualification Chiyangwa holds to sit on that committee.

At some stage, I think this is a nuisance of an incident to receive attention and it can never happen. There are no grounds to implement such a decision.

Dynamos will have to play their next match against Caps United, and if they use the same player, will the ZPSL accept the Cameroonian player in their team sheets? I do not think so. Let us say that the match goes on, and Dynamos use that player, ZPSL can simply dock the points as it is their competition, not ZIFA's competition.

Regarding the ZPSL, there seems to have been no letter or appeal made to them about their own competition, meaning that as far as they are concerned, the noise about this issue is a lot of farce about nothing.

Ncube surely made a report to the owners of the competition. Unless he handed a different story, then the ZPSL have some work to do. For now, they must stay put as they have clear rules and guidelines regarding such matters.

It has been brought to our attention, that the Order 30 of the PSL Rules and Regulations is as follows:

30.1 Any club involved in a match, may lodge a protest with the League in respect of any match played under the auspices of the League provided that:
30.1.2.3 A written protest accompanied by a protest fee of US$1000 (One thousand dollars) is lodged with the General Secretariat of the League within 48 hours (forty-eight) hours (excluding Saturdays, Sundays or public holidays) of the game and
30.1.2.4 The written protest referred to in order 30.1 above sets out the full facts on which it is based and refers to the Article and/or rule and regulation allegedly contravened by the offending party; and
30.1.2.5 The protest is not made against the referee’s and/or assistant referee’s decision connected with play, such decisions being final.

Do you think there is anything that Highlanders should worry about? Let us know.

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.

Amazing unity following the death of Thembelenkosini Hloli (MHSRIP)

Extreme levels of violence following the Highlanders versus Dynamos match in Bulawayo's Barbourfields Stadium claimed a young live of a fan, Thembelenkosini Hlobi. May his soul rest in eternal peace. Here is a Meluleki Moyo's narration of events after other concerned Bosso fans heard the news and decided to intervene. The article includes Facebook comments up to the time of this release.

As proposed and agreed in this group,today I visited the family of the late Thembelenkosini Hloli in Sizinda. Mqondisi Malunga accompanied me.We presented ourselves as representatives of a Facebook Page group of Bosso fans based locally and internationally.In our presentation we made specific mention of Isaac Mbedzi as being the group leader.

We told them that Mbedzi is the one who sent Bosso those Canadians who were around early in the year. We told Hloli and those on our round 'table' that we are staunch Bosso fans who travel as far as Harare,Hwange and Triangle.We told him we and the rest of the Bosso fraternity was sharing the grief of the loss of their son.

We told them that tho we were not blood relatives and tho we did not know Thembelenkosini in person,as soon as somebody puts on that black and white uniform he becomes our spiritual brother. Bab'uHloli is one of those stately looking soft spoken African men probably aged close to 70. He told us his opinions on the death of his son.

His version differed slightly from those on the FB pages. He told us that there were messages from his son's fone sent after his son's death.I won't go into that because I consider that to be part of police evidence. Meanwhile,the otherwise strong looking old man seemed rather perplexed by his son's death.

The least I can say was that somebody in the discussion mentioned that Thembelenkosini was repeatedly shown on the TV screens wearing his Bosso overalls when Bosso played Dembare at the NSS in Harare, two months back. I could tell that the old man at this stage is prepared to consider a conspiracy theory to the effect that his son's death was pre-planned.

Don't get me wrong, I'm just stating the state of perplexion that the old man is going through. Meanwhile we advised him that we want to assist in anyway possible now and possibly in the coming days. We asked for a family Ecocash account and we were given that of her daughter Hlengiwe. Hloli has other sons.The youngest is Alphonce. He spent time with us.His elder son is named Phineas but joined us late because he was busy with funeral arrangements.

Mqo and I only had two packs of Cremora (the Bosso milk).When we discovered that Alphonce had no airtime, we fowarded $5 to him because according to him, it is wrong for the young man not to have airtime-at such a time as this.This we did in front of everyone there so that if they have to make urgent calls they know who to go to.

Meanwhile, there was a reasonable number of pple at the funeral wake and one thing that we picked was that Phineas was busy searching for a vehicle to transport mourners to the funeral. Hloli wants his son's body to travel tomorrow after the post mortem but some nurses suggested that it may be difficult because coming from a holiday as we are, there shall be too many bodies undergoing post mortems tomorrow.

The body may therefore travel on Thursday. I promised the Hloli family that I'll get them a Bosso flag tomorrow to accompany their son to his resting place. Naturally, umdala uHloli expressed his gratefulness. Meanwhile, the news of Thembelenkosini's passing on was broken to the nation by a friend of his by the name of Wellington Samadalinja.

We visited him and invited him to be one of the representatives of the Hloli family together with Alphonce here in our FB Bosso Supporters' page. Samadalinja has since become an FB friend of both Mqondisi and I. I'll recommend him to be added as a member of this page.Thembelenkosini Hloli's death perplexed his family such that some of the questions they are asking about their son are contrary to what we've read on FB.

The young man who died for the 'sins' of Highlanders and its fans will be laid to rest in Chief Sogwala's area of Lower Gwelo. Their homestead is 60 kimometres from the city of Gweru. May Thembinator's soul rest in eternal peace!

Miges Miguel akalale ngokuThula. sibonga kakhulu uMusa lokusifikel khona. Akuhlale kunjalo


Tshepo Mabalane Mabalane Yaze yabuhlungu lendaba. Makalale ngoxolo umfowethu lemuli yakwaHloli ithi ukududuzeka. Alwehlanga lungehlanga. Siyabonga Moyo loMalunga ngomsebenzi omkhulu elithe lawenza. Ukwanda kwaliwa ngabathakathi.


Moeketsi Ncube thanx bhudi ukusimela ekukhaleni kanye labanye ngesikhathi esinzima esisehleyo.R.I.P young Hloli


Ndo Dk amen inkosi ibenaye isivikele nathi


Victor November Thanx for the visit to the Hlolis on our behalf.Give us the ecocash number and we see what to do henceforth.Siyabonga madoda


Michael Mdladla Ndiweni Siyabonga bafowethu.


Mkhumbulo Uzokdubula Sbhamusenyon Alwehlanga lungehlanga, abaduduzeke abakoHloli bethembele kuMdali , !


Mlamuli Mhlaba Nkomo RIP

Busani M J Malinga Siyabonga bhudi, kalale ngoxolo umfowethu


Sehlie Majamela Ngeleza kwaze kwakubuhlungu shuwa kalale ngokuthula umfowethu kunzima kakhulu


Mbongeni Hlathi Mlilo sibonga guyz for the great work...may he RIP.


Nodumo Nyathi Meluleki Moyo please post the ecocash number kusetshenzwe madoda..kalale ngoxolo umfowethu..siyabonga Mqondisi Malunga Meluleki Moyo ngokuyasimela ....Lathi singabantu..ngokuzwa kwami indaba ebekwe nguMeluleki its clear usizo luyafuneka bafethu....


Meluleki Moyo Will give u Hlengiwe's ecocash number when Wellington Samadalinja has been added to this group.Meanwhile,I call on group administrators to remove inflammatory posts about Thembelihle.Let's hope everything will be ready tomorrow.


Nqo Mguza Good job guys!! Good job indeed. This is exactly what we need in this group, less talk and more action.


Willard Khanye Thanx meluleki


Busani Tshuma Maqumbaqaleke Lala ngoxolo mfowethu


Isaac Mbedzi Ibuhlungu kakhulu indaba leyi njalo ngiyalihlonipha Moyo lo Malunga ngokuyimela indaba leyi and even lokuza in public and confirm umsebenzi wonke lamabizo abantu asebenzileyo.Liyenze elikubona kumele kwenziwe njalo lathi kumele siphathise ngendlela yakhona ,mina ngeke ngithi ngiyikokheli ye group kodwa ngizazama ngezenzo ukuthi sizame ukuncedisa here and there lokufika kubo ngingafika.Tse Ndex labo Nqaba Donga are the rightful leaders of the group.Kodwa lo umsebenzi oqondane lemfa leyi ngizawusebenza .Let his soul rest in eternal peace.




Wonder Chikanya Thank you gentlemen. Yisibonelo esihle leso iNkosi mayilibusise.


Mehluli Tshuks Ngwiza Rest in peace my home boy.


Isaac Mbedzi Abakwanisayo okwakhathesi asincedeni madoda .


Nodumo Nyathi Meluleki Moyo. Mqondisi Malunga. fakani inumber boooooo


BraNqo Ndlovu Thank you so much Melu, tears are flowing freely down my face as I type this. God bless you for the commitment, for taking your time, we are grateful, as a collective. Let those of us here at home flood that number eachj $10, $20, whatever we can spare and cannot, will certainly go a long way, from what you have so eloquently portrayed, in terms of the needs of the family. Lina elioutside, I think as I suggested and there wa sno objection, can uBhudi Nodumo maybe provide or arrange a way, or the family might have someone they would rather use in SA etc, angazi Meluleki Moyo, Tse Ndex, Nqaba Donga, Isaac Mbedzii, Mqondisi Malunga and all of you guys, what do you say regarding donations and contributions from outside zim?


Vusumuzi Sibanda Its never a good thing that a parent buries his or her child. As a parent I would prefer that my son bury me. May his soul rest in peace bakithi.


Nodumo Nyathi Mina my account in SA available and wil send the cash at my cost. Meluleki Moyo pliz chat with Wellington and ask if they have someone in SA who can give us their account number and we deposit.if not Admins accepting i can avail my account number and cash b sent say latest Thursday morning


Abell Moyo thnks bafethu job well done ayisoze ibulawe


Tse Ndex May His Soul Rest in Eternal Peace


Noel Munzabwa guys we should emerge stronger and united thanks to those who paid our tributes to the family


BraNqo Ndlovu Thina esisekhaya we are then going to be sorted in terms of ecocash and so forth, guys we cannot begin to be enough help for the family. Can we feel some movement too, some action, from those in SA and maybe the UK and Canada etc? Let us show true unity of purpose and show the enemy, yes, I mean it like that, the enemy, however wena individually you take it, that we can stand as one. we can stand together, singazihlekisi ngabo.


Isaac Mbedzi Nodumo Nyathi yenza njalo atleast kube le something.


Ben Ndlovu This is sad. Siyabonga baba Moyo


Meluleki Moyo The gud news is that,it's now official,the entire Bosso team visited the Hloli family.They were at the Hloli home just after 6pm today.Infact a Bosso official-the Hlolis say CEO Gumede visited them earlier in the day.Their Sizinda address is 67039/2.It's close to the bar.I can now give u sis Hlengiwe Hloli's ecocash number.I'm asking every Bosso supporter who wants to use this number to talk to the Bosso officer so that it isofficialised. Hlengi's number is 0773 080 879


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  BraNqo Ndlovu As part of canvassing for donations to my 3000-plus friends, even if i get something from 10 only, may I please be allowed to copy and paste the post by Meluleki above? and Account details etc? Some people who have means and support not just Highlanders but football may feel like contributing, am hoping nje?
  
  
  Brighton Mandla Mpofu so sad
  19 mins · Like
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  Nodumo Nyathi Meluleki Moyo please post separate th number as a post.am sure asonkinga leyi no need to go to Bosso official. Hlengiwe uzabhala phansi amounts recieved asazise and then total gets posted kugroup ukuze sibongane kahle.kunjalo vele kuba lebhuku okubhalwa khona.yena uza recorder and update you and Mqondisi Malunga
  
  

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?

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.

Dynamos 1, Highlanders 0 (By Ezra Tshisa Sibanda)

(By Ezra Tshisa Sibanda)

Ridiculed and embarrassed, After 8 years of trying Highlanders Bosso wanted to show how good they were this time around, they talked themselves up and looked at their opponents Dynamos as equals. In the end, they were just loudmouths, ridiculed and made complete fools of, by out of form but determined DeMbare.

This was a chance for Bosso to finally end the dominance of DeMbare, they have the squad which should be delivering but they have been found wanting yet again. In the past, excuses were given that the team lacked depths and experience hence played second fiddle to their fiercest rivals. Beginning of this season, Highlanders executive went out in full force purchasing players in preparation for the season while the coach was away supposedly at his usual training courses which seem not to be helpful to the cause. With all these players and such a big squad how and why is Bosso still performing badly?

In football, consistency is the key and it is opposite at Highlanders. The technical team led by their head coach have failed to come out with their first eleven since the season started. As far as I'm concerned the head coach calls the shots, he is responsible for team selection and certainly the blame should be on him. The way he tinkers with his team, week in week out, makes people wonder what his strategy is all about and how he expect to win games without continuity.

Players need to get used to each other, create an understanding, to know each other's strength and weaknesses so as to compliment one another during games but it is impossible with this coach who changes the team every game they play. Basic football requires you not to change a winning team and it is the opposite at Bosso. You do not need the most talented individuals to be a good side. Football is a team game, Highlanders do not play as a team because for the last few seasons at least, they rarely play with the same 11 in the same positions for two games in a row.

A huge part of football is becoming drilled in your job and learning the nuances of your team mates. This manifests itself in accurate passing and intelligent movement and thus creating half decent chances. Bosso have none of this, the poor coaching strategy, team and formation selections over the past few years, rendering this Bosso side, a team of strangers and boy does it look like it, with lack of communication and wayward passing all day long.

We also lack guile in the midfield and attack, we seem naive in our play, getting caught forward. My main concern is the defence. Where are the young players to take us forward in the positions held by the ageing Mapuranga and Fazo and why don't we get a real right back than playing ageing defensive midfielder Munawa out of position? From top position two weekends ago, Bosso are now number 4 and going down the ladder!

Lets face it, the problem is deeper at Bosso! Highlanders FC lacks real valuable characters, we do not need people with spoilt attitude, no dedication and no commitment. It is plain to see that if you want to win at club level, you don't need players like the current majority at Bosso. You need players like the late greats; Mercedes Sibanda, Cleopas Dlodlo, Adam Ndlovu, Benjamin Konjera (may their souls rest in peace) Willard Khumalo, Peter Ndlovu, Madinda Ndlovu, Netsai Moyo, Abraham Madondo, Peter Nkomo, Douglas Mloyi, Zenzo Moyo, Siza Khoza, Thabani Masawi, Dazy Kapenya, Alexander Maseko, Dumisani Ngulube, Tobias Mudyambanje to name some of the finest Highlanders past players who would huff and puff, break legs and sweat blood to ensure Highlanders are victorious against rivals.

They wouldn't let themselves and the club down and allow to be dominated by one team for all these years. With the current crop of players led by the current coach, there is a very slim chance they will improve this season, and to win the championship is to beat your fiercest rivals like Dynamos. The unbeaten run is gone in smoke, so those who were bragging about it what's your defence now? Bosso now need to pick themselves up after today's fiasco. Nothing insurmountable, as long as Kaindu's protégés show more appetite than in their first half of this season so far!

Highlanders fans can assist raise club funds easily

After the hype, funfare and aplomb of the BancABC-cum-ESport-cum-Adidas Highlanders/Dynamos replica jersey deal, the reality of delivery over speeches is hitting the Bosso fans who await the first sight of the promised good. It is claimed Dynamos started selling their wares last week. The clubs went into a deal that would see the fans fork out $50.00 for the benefit of $3.50 for their clubs.

Many hoped to snap the jerseys upon delivery but the spirits have been dampened by the unspecified delays. Questions have been raised as to how the Hararians got their stock but as usual; there will be no speculation from our quarters. 

It interested many people how we suggested fans can don the shirts for less. The idea was to raffle a jersey for a $1.00 with 100 tickets. That way, the club would net $53.50 per item going to the club. The little knowledge gained from the experience of being Technical Advisor of the biggest club in Zimbabwe showed me how difficult it may be to do business with the club. The Highlanders FC Executive Committee members are busy people having to run their lives, families, jobs and the club.

The least that can happen is that they accept donations of cash collected or given by well-wishers. Even that is a process. The issue is that nobody is in a position to take unilateral decisions. The complication extends further if there are sponsors involved. The approval of the board is not a mean feat either.

Given that, at this point, all should be aware the club is said to be entering 'good times' with things on the horizon. Many people are working tirelessly behind the scenes. It is the scenes that we want to dwell on. Efforts to form a Highlanders Football Club Supporters Association were fruitful and theirs was driven by the Facebook Group of the same name.

For the benefit of the club and the followers, it this Group that must just try to take the bull by the horns, make money and donate to the club, say FORCE it into the club. The group can get the replicas and raffle them as part of their own mandate outside club structures. A turn-off for many has been how there has always been an issue with making money for Bosso.

Discussions that there was people who sold the club colours and merchandise without anything being donated or offered to the club - like these selling flags, T-shirts, badges, hats on the streets and stadia. The self-propelled entrepreneurs are visionary and energetic but they operate outside the mandate of the club for their enrichment. The club seems content with that. There is a claim of a Bosso car wash which may or may not be linked with the club.

If a constituted body like the supporters association took it upon themselves to regularise and officalise the operation, they would hit a brick wall. Acting on their own, they will be brandished dissidents working without the blessing of the club, yet they work to benefit the club. That is however the only way out.

Bongani Mafu. a prominent and highly qualified coach who I worked with in educating coaches years back was full of wonder. "I keep failing to understand something here. I thought if a group wanted to raise money and buy say footballs for the club, they just go ahead and raise the funds, buy the targeted equipment then approach the executive with a concrete object. Why would there be need for a 'blessing' to raise funds?"

This point surely came at a point when a group of individuals had to ask for the 'blessings of the club' to assist the Clubhouse, and the project stalled as a result. Many may not wish to recall a car that was donated to the club for use by the coach and the donation was unwelcome somehow.  

He goes on to say "People have donated money and equipment to Bosso before. I am positive none started by getting permission to do so. People must get organised, donate the monies somehow as a group and buy the equipment!".  His suggestion even went further to a point of approaching the company selling what is to be bought so donations would go straight to the club rather than coming from individuals.

People wanting to suggest or give advice to the Executive waste a lot of time. That committee has a constituted mandate to fulfill and their tasks are measured in terms of time rather than delivery. They enter history books whatever the outcome of their tenure, unfortunately.

Robert Ndlovu was however of the opinion that the club is not a ‘charity case’ and therefore should not depend on donations. While true, this fact has been sysnonymous with the club as hand and glove. “The club has capacity to self-sustain if they use their brand properly. Don’t give a man fish. Teach him how to fish. When people live on donations they become lazy. Just a fact”.

There would be support for this. “It is the management that should come with a massive turn-around strategy to ease the financial woes of the club even if it means selling the club assets.” In fact, I share the opinions but just. If possible, someone could have done this decades ago.

The truth is, with or without fishing tools and skill, Bosso cannot or will not not fish. That one hard fact that is incomprehensible. It is the same with many executives since Ndumiso Gumede's days when the club managed to buy the properties it has to date – the office, the clubhouse and the house in Luveve. Bosso cannot come up with a plan. That sounds harsh too. Given a plan, they cannot implement it at all somehow. You may ask what they can do then. I can confirm that they can spend the money, which is the reason why they will do with donations.

The clubhouse utilisation is said to have a long term solution with solid plans in the pipeline, to the club and we await further details. With or without the board and club executive committee blessings, it would be prudent for the owners of the club, the fans, to use the club's name to raise funds for the club. There is no fraud there. Fraud would be running the club dry, especially a brand like Bosso.

One hopes the jerseys will arrive, the supporters will do what they want and pump the money into the club coffers. BancABC should also pull up their socks and supply alternative kits for the team to avoid embarrassing situations like the one that saw the team 'borrow' a kit. It could be just incompetence on the part of the management in which case, it is not acceptable.

Highlanders replica jersey arrived and check out the price!!

The undisclosed amount of Highlanders Bosso replica jerseys for the funs were unveiled and hande over to the club for distribution at a price of $50.00 in a function that was held in Harare.

In a deal between Adidas and both Dynamos and Highlanders, the clubs stand to benefit a cool $3.50 (7%) from the sale of each unit. It has been said that arrangements for shipment will be made for those purchasing from far away places.  many

The guess is that payment online will be made available for the convinience of the people in the diaspora. One could not establish what else in terms of menchandise was available from Adidas and BancABC. Hats, scarfs, gloves and flags may still be left to the clubs to produce and market.

This deal is said to have been brokered by BancABC, while earlier on, the understanding was that it was a through pass to Edazi Kasinauyo's company to source the kit and the deal for the two clubs through BancABC. It is reported that an approved retailer will receive the merchandise from Adidas in South Africa and sell the jerseys to the public.

These will be sold in home matches and approved shops still to be specified. This brought excitement to fans and pundits alike. The issue of Bosso associating with Adidas overshadowed the issue of the club's share. There is not much doubt how many jerseys will be sold. All the years we have cried for the Bosso family to open up the minds and think business.

At 7% share per shirt, many people could have made better offers, not for the jerseys, because I truly think Adidas are the best and they gave a good deal. A lot of business people are availavble to manufacture and distribute so much for their gross share of 93%.

This includes the books I wrote and proposed a 50% share of the net. It just shows how much onew thinks by heart without a business mind. Mind-blogging was the club's insistance on 100%. At this point, no books have been sold, meaning that the club received 100% of nothing. If a 1000 were sold, the team would pocket around R50000.00. This is not to take away the shine of this deal, but opens the eyes of what the club should be loking at about everything else.

What has not been clear is how long the deal is for and if it invoves any training kits as well as apparel for the junior teams. I am neither sure how much else the team gets for donning Adidas kit and the length of that part of the deal. Like all new toys, we hug and embrace the fresh start and hope it undures the hard times. It is however worrying that the club still claims financial hardships while being kitted by such a strong brand.

Besides the financial obligations, Adidas could as well furnish the coaches' offices if they have, and equip them with the high-tech gadgets. The assumption is that they supply cones, maniquines, bibs and balls, not just shorts, shorts and socks for the team.

It would also be nice if they endorsed local players and supplied them with footall boots even if it was for $10000 per annum. The football boots can be named after these players in the local market and many people would have the pride to wear the brand their heroes use. All this could be a done deal but many people that were asked could not provide the answers, regardless of their lose ties to the top.

Highlanders and Dynamos supporters are out of Zimbabwe

GIANTS Highlanders and Dynamos have missed out on the opportunity to take part in this year's NetOne Charity Shield after they failed to make it among the top four in the sms voting process.

This year's competition features the four teams that garnered the most votes during the voting period in the last month and will see Monomotapa, CAPS United, Chicken Inn and FC Platinum playing in the semi-finals scheduled to begin at the weekend.

Winners will progress to the final on a date to be announced.

Monomotapa emerged the fans' favourite with 20 825 votes while CAPS United were second with 16 013 votes.

Chicken Inn took the third slot after receiving 15 558 votes and FC Platinum completed the top four teams with 11 585 votes to their credit.

In a rather shocking outcome, DeMbare finished fifth and Highlanders were sixth despite the two clubs' command of a huge fan base compared to any other team in the country.

For the first time in four years, Dynamos will miss the season-opening tournament and the voting apathy on the part of their fans could be linked to their standoff with the sponsors, who withheld their US$50 000 prize money last season, after clashing on kit branding.

The row also involved BancABC who are, ironically, also the principal sponsors of Highlanders.

DeMbare, who won the Charity Shield in the last three years, had made it clear that had they were not going to take part in the tournament even if they got the votes among the top four.

NetOne Cellular Corporate Brand Manager Rutendo Chabururuka said the results were verified by an independent auditor before they were released yesterday.

Chabururuka said the draw will be conducted at the official launch tomorrow where venues and dates for the final are also set to be revealed.

Organisers have indicated that they would want to spread the games across the country this year.

"It wasn't about the general expectations of the football community or the popularity of the clubs but it was all about how the fans voted.

"A club may have many supporters but if those fans didn't vote for their teams then that's it. The teams that get the most votes will play in the semi-finals,” said Chabururka.

Interestingly, Dynamos led the votes last Wednesday with Highlanders also in the top three but the figures  had turned dramatically by Sunday afternoon with Monomotapa, CAPS United and FC Platinum taking the lead.

The voting, which began on March 8, closed at midnight on Sunday.

The sponsors this year moved away from the norm, which pitted the reigning league champions and winners of the major cup tournament, from the previous season, to a new criteria that involves a huge input from the supporters.

The fans were allowed to can cast unlimited votes for their teams

"There was an interesting trend on the last day (Sunday). All the while, votes were coming at a slow pace and we were actually shocked by how people suddenly started voting for their teams and how the overall table turned out,” said Chabururuka.

Newcomers Tripple B had the least votes as only 32 people voted for them while Harare City who appear a formidable outfit this season had 68 votes.

NetOne, who are in their third and final year of the sponsorship deal, have promised a bigger tournament this year.

They pumped in US$200 000 for the inaugural NetOne Charity Shield in 2011 and then increased the package to $250 000 last year.

The company's managing director, Reward Kangai, hinted at the launch of the voting platform that they were eager to extend the marriage with PSL.

NetOne voting results
Monomotapa              20 825
CAPS United              16 013
Chicken Inn              15 558
FC Platinum              11 585
Dynamos                  10 275
Highlanders               8 080
Shabanie                  1 406
Mambas                     463
Hwange                     318
Buffaloes                  307
Black Rhinos             206
Motor Action             195
Triangle                  149
How Mine               105
Harare City             68
Triple B                  32

(www.bulawayo24.com)

Highlanders dismembered by Dynamos in Cup match

Dynamos scored 4 unanswered goals through Khumbula in the 8th and 39th minutes, Jaure in the 10th minute as well as a 45th minute own goal to crown a miserable day in the office for the Highlanders players, technical team and supporters to lift the Bob89 Cup with a 6-1 aaggregate scoreline.

Bosso always put a show void of meaningful purpose to trouble the Zimbabwean champions. Flashes of brilliance from the usual suspects like Bruce Kangwa, Peter Moyo and Mthulisi Maphosa was evident but insufficient to turn a 2-1 deficit from the first leg around.

None had the brilliance to overturn the 4-0 half-time scoreline or even to register a single goal to save face. There is loads of work if the Bulawayo giants will have a say in the upcoming season of the Zimbabwe Castle Lager Premiership.

Bosso still with a chance after win

Highlanders 1 - 0 FC Platinum
HIGHLANDERS put up a gritty first half hour performance in which they scored the only goal before fizzling out in a Castle Lager Premier Soccer League encounter against a tactically disciplined FC Platinum at Barbourfields yesterday.

Masimba Mambare struck a beautiful dipping volley in the 23rd minute from inside the box that beat a static Tafadzwa Dube in goal for the visitors.

He had received a telling pass from Graham Ncube, himself a beneficiary of good thinking by the gangly Bhekimpilo Ncube who beautifully chest passed the ball to him before Graham pushed the ball once and spotted Mambare lurking on the blind side.

Within a flash, Mambare ghosted behind Qadr Amin and was face to face with Dube and in the next second, Bar­bourfields was in a delirium.

Highlanders were the first to ask questions in the goal area when Heritani Masuku, clearly the best player on view of the afternoon, found himself on the edge of the box and his well timed crossed missed the right goal post angle by inches.

The visitors, to their credit main­tained composure and kept their cool and in the seventh minute, Dumisani Ndlovu was adjudged to have fouled the hard running Donald Ngoma just out­side the box and referee Masakadza Makonese  rightfully awarded the visitors a freekick. Upstepped Zephaniah Ngodzo whose shot found Ariel Sibanda well positioned.

Ndlovu came in for the suspended Eric Mudzingwa. For Mudzingwa, his presence is ever felt but yesterday, it was clear that even his absence is indeed felt.

FC Platinum were probing the Bosso goal area once more and a mistake by Bhekimpilo, saw Ngoma getting possession of the ball and in a flash, he let loose a bullet from outside the box and again Sibanda was in no nonsense mood.

Highlanders could have gone ahead in the 20th minute when a mistake by goalkeeper Dube off a curling freekick by Bruce Tshuma saw Amin clearing the ball from the line with most in the stands already up in celebration.

A quick counter attack by Bruce Kangwa in the 23rd minute found young Knox Mutizwa on the far right who rode two tackles from the FC Platinum defenders before squaring the ball to Bhekimpilo who chested it to Graham and whose pass to Mambare opened the scoring.

In the 28th minute, visitors' skipper Daniel Vheremu, who also had a good game let go a pile driver from just out­side the centre circle which however went over the bar.

Not to be intimidated, Bosso were back in the visitors' final third and this time a Kangwa cross was met first time by Mambare whose shot went agonisingly wide with Dube at sea.

Highlanders' game then slowed down as the visitors suddenly found themselves enjoying more passes, espe­cially on their left flank, whenever Ngoma was in possession. Their undo­ing though was that Ngoma's crosses  found no one on the right side of the field. Dreadlocked Charles Sibanda was also a constant threat to the Highlanders defence with his flashing runs and shots at goal.

Dangerous as they were living, Bosso hung on to their slender lead until half time. In the second half Bosso gaffer, Kelvin Kaindu made a substitution, bringing in Beavan Chikaka for Gra­ham in an effort to add more punch upfront but Chikaka did little to justify his coach's faith in him.

Ten minutes after the break his coun­terpart Chikuni made a double substitution, pulling out Manondo and Ndiweni for Joel Ngodzo and Michelle Katsvairo. The duo's introduction meant Highlanders were kept on their toes as Chikuni's boys pushed for that elusive equaliser that would also have effectively handed the title to Dynamos.

There was a scare four minutes before full time when substitute, Katsvairo fell inside the box under challenge from the towering Ndlovu but both referee Makonese and first assistant Bernard Matenga seemed not convinced.

Ironically the same officials were in charge of the reverse fixture at Mandava Stadium in which Bosso won 3-1.

A minute before full time, a sucker punch nearly came from the visitors when a freekick from the edge of the box saw Charles selling a dummy to Highlanders goalkeeper, Sibanda, who went with him airborne only for the ball to reach Vheremu whose free header trickled across the face of the goal and into touch for a goal kick.

FC Platinum are still looking for their first goal at Barbourfields Stadium against Highlanders.

Teams:
Highlanders: A Sibanda, B Tshuma, B Kangwa, D Ndlovu, I Mapuranga, M Maphosa, H Masuku, K Mutizwa (O Zibande 70th minute), G Ncube  (B Chikaka 49th minute), B Ncube (P Moyo 61st minute), M Mambare
FC Platinum: T Dube, D Veremu, Q Amin, W Manondo ( J Ngodzo 55th min), A Sadiki (A Gahadzikwa 80th minute), T Kamusoko, Z Ngodzo, C Sibanda, W Ndiweni (M Katsvairo 55th minute), R Muduviwa, D Ngoma.

(Source: www.bulawayo24.com)

Have Highlanders topped the Log after Buffaloes win?

Highlanders scored a solitary goal to subdue Green Buffaloes of Mutare at home in a match they could won by an avalanche of goals. Bosso kept the hopes of landing the title alive even though Dynamos won their match easily, by 3 goals to nil.

It is reported that Dynamos scored easily past a nine men Black Mambas who also had an own goal by their goalkeeper. It is the third lucky own goal by Dynamos in recent weeks. The win made sure the Harare team is in contention for the title as they trail Highlanders by a point, though they await the verdict of their Hwange match result.

Dynamos had beat Hwange by 4-2 in Harare in a match in which their coaches were brutalised by the fans and spent the day off-sick, in hospital beds. While the PSL disciplinary gave a decision to replay the match, and the appeal by Dembare to ZIFA led to their award of the same match on the original scoreline.

Hwange have since had their appeal accepted therefore nullifying that judgement. This leaves Dynamos with a point behind Bosso but with a game in hand.

For their part, Highlanders played an entertaining match and were duly rewarded with the vital goal that may be the difference in the championship within the next coming couple of weeks.

Bosso, Dembare match grosses US$168 440

The top of the table clash between age old rivals Dynamos and Highlanders lived up to billing when it attracted the biggest crowd at Rufaro this season and a new record pay cheque for the domestic Castle Lager Premier Soccer League yesterday. For long, Dynamos have been the cash cows for the PSL and yesterday they proved that when they surpassed the previous high they had set for this season with 28 868 people paying to watch the Battle of Zimbabwe Part II.

According to figures from the Premier Soccer League office last night, DeMbare who had hiked the gate charges to US$5 for the rest of ground, US$10 and US$20 for the Upper grand stand and the VIP realised a gross revenue of US$168 440.

But the Glamour Boys were left with a net income US$100 050, with over a third of the earnings going to levies and various service providers.

Harare City Council, the owners of were the biggest beneficiaries among the service providers, claiming a big chunk of US$33 750 for the use of the stadium.

Despite the hike in gate charges, the stadium was almost full to the rafters before kick off yesterday. But scenes of violence between supporters from both divides before and during the game marred what could have been a good family day.

Before yesterday, the most attended match this year was the Bosso against DeMbare tie at Barbourfields which attracted 25 957 paying fans.The Battle of Zimbabwe Part 1, which recorded the biggest crowd at Barbourfields since 2006, raked in US$104 445 and left Bosso with a net of US$40 500. DeMbare have been the most rewarded team from the turnstiles as they grossed US$135 000 in the Harare derby against CAPS United earlier this year and banked US$79 511 from the proceeds.

The match was watched by a near capacity crowd with 23 648 people paying at the gates According to statistics from the PSL, the match between Dynamos and Black Rhinos in 2006 which drew record paying fans regions of 33 000 still holds the records at Rufaro.

Highlanders' revival this season has seen the crowds coming back to rally the Bulawayo giants in their quest to win the championship after six years.

Highlanders' Battle of Zimbabwe Part 1 clash with DeMbare raked in US$104 445, which had surpassed the previous high of US$100 000 realised in the Harare derby between CAPS United and Dynamos in 2010.This was the most attended match at Barbourfields in six years but as was the case with the derby expenses gobbled up the biggest chunk of the revenue as Bosso were left with US$40 500 in their account from the proceeds.

(Source: www.bulawayo24.com)