The Castle Lager Premier Soccer League title race has gone past the halfway stage, and as things stand right now, the balance of football power appears to be shifting from the big boys to the small boys.
insidesport with MICHAEL KARIATI
With 11 points separating them and leaders Ngezi Platinum Stars, Highlanders appear to be drifting out of the league title race, while defending champions and one of the Big Three, CAPS United, will have to contend with fighting relegation for them to play premiership football next season.
This leaves Dynamos as the only serious title contenders among the three most popular football teams in the country.
However, events on the ground seem to suggest that even the 1998 Caf Champions League finalists will have to produce something more astounding than they have done in the past to snatch the title from the noses of Ngezi Platinum Stars, Chicken Inn and FC Platinum.
So far, however, all is good for Ngezi Platinum Stars, who are becoming more and more like potential 2017 Zimbabwe soccer champions by the day as they pick up valuable points against tough opposition away from home, as evidenced by their wins over Black Rhinos and How Mine.
However, the Mhondoro-Ngezi based side are not far away from former champions Chicken Inn, who are one point behind on 42 points from 21 games, as well as fourth-placed FC Platinum who have 39 points from 20 games — the three most likely title winners.
As things stand right now, only third-placed Dynamos, also on 39 points, can stop one of the small boys from taking the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League title.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
But DeMbare do not look capable of doing that as they have not been all that consistent.
What a day it would be should that trophy go to the rural areas of Mhondoro-Ngezi. Or what a day it would be should Norman Mapeza take the title to Zvishavane after playing bridesmaid for the past three seasons.
Or what a day it would be should Rahman Gumbo add another Zimbabwean league title to the collection he already has, some from Malawi, and Botswana.
There are three small boys —Ngezi Platinum Stars, Chicken Inn, and FC Platinum — at the top of the table right now and one traditional big boy, Dynamos. Who do you think will take the title?
Where are the Mighty Warriors?
It is less than a month before the Cosafa Women’s Championships take centre stage in Zimbabwe, but the hosts are in disarray with no team and only the coach Sithethelelwe “Kwinji 15” Sibanda in position.
By now, a country with big football ambitions should have had their team in camp to allow the players to gel and regain fitness after having been last on the field of play at the Africa Women’s Championships in Cameroon in November 2016.
What those in authority are forgetting is that Sibanda — despite having been the sacked Shadreck Mlauzi’s assistant — is still new on the job and would have wanted enough time to have a look at the players available and see whether they are up to the task ahead or not.
What makes the situation worse is that the players have been sitting at home as there is no domestic women’s football league in the country while at national team level, they were last on the field of play in November 2016.
What should be understood is that Kwinji 15 cannot rely on the same players that Mlauzi used at both the Olympics and the continental finals as some of them have now outlived their usefulness, having been part of the Mighty Warriors set up for a long time.
Enough time and a series of friendly matches would have given the coach the opportunity to experiment with the players and fine tune her squad. By now she would have had a rough idea of which 23 players to take to the finals and probably win her the championships.
Surprisingly, the men’s team, the Warriors, were accorded a series of international friendly matches in their build up to their 2019 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against the Lone Star of Liberia yet the Mighty Warriors are being forced into competition without any preparations at all. Some might argue that the Cosafa Cup is a far much different competition from Afcon, but Zimbabweans would not have celebrated in the manner they did after the Warriors beat Zambia in July to win the men’s Cosafa Cup had the tournament not been all that important.
Even so, Zimbabwe would not have agreed to host the 14-team women’s competition had they not realised how important it is.
What those at the Zimbabwe Football Association should understand is that elimination in the first round for the Mighty Warriors would be disastrous to the competition as this would virtually end public interest in the regional football contest.
Small or no crowds at all at the competition would be the last thing that Zimbabwe would want as that would have a strong bearing on Zimbabwe’s consideration for future possible hosting of major international tournaments as the Confederation of African Football is moving closer to adopting co-hosting status for the Africa Cup of Nations.
Early elimination in the Cosafa Cup — and for that matter at home — would also not do any good to the Mighty Warriors reputation having been one of Africa’s only three representatives at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, and also having made the journey to the 2016 Africa Women’s Championships in Yaounde.
The Mighty Warriors also have the chance to safeguard their reputation as the kings of southern African football as they are the holders of the Cosafa Cup following that 1-0 win over South Africa at Rufaro Stadium when the tournament was last held in 2011.
A failed Cosafa Cup tournament in Zimbabwe would also be the last thing that Zifa president Philip Chiyangwa as Cosafa president would want as that would reflect badly on his leadership not only of Zimbabwean football, but also of the regional block.
The fact remains that while the Cosafa Cup might be a small tournament, winning it at the expense of such African women’s football powerhouses like South Africa, would be the tonic Zimbabwe needs ahead of the 2018 Africa Women’s Championship qualifiers and the run up to the 2020 Olympic Games.
That, however, might not be possible if Zifa do not invest in the Mighty Warriors to ensure that the nation celebrates once again after the men’s team success in South Africa.
For your comments, views and suggestions, email [email protected] or WhatsApp on 077 3 266 779.
