adminThe club said they were determined to mount a serious challenge in both the African sojourn and the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League campaign.
“Our players should be coming in from their festive season break tomorrow before we begin our pre-season in earnest next week,” said FC Platinum secretary Philimon Muwengwa.
The team’s head coach Rahman Gumbo is expected back in the country today ahead of the commencement of the team’s preparations.
Gumbo has been on a club-sponsored vacation in which he visited the United Kingdom and Canada, having left on Christmas Eve.
The Midlands-based side were among the busiest on the market, registering 14 new players while deregistering 11 of their stars who did duty for them last season.
Among those shown the exit door was their Players’ Player of the Year and second top goalscorer in 2011 Mernard Mupera and 2010 Soccer Star of the Year finalist Bhekimpilo Ncube.
Besides former Highlanders skipper Gilbert Banda, the Moneybags registered former Bosso midfielder Louis Matawu, Under-23 skipper and Gunners player Qadr Amin, his teammates Ali Sadiki and Michelle
Katsvairo, Chicken Inn’s Thandazani Ndlovu, Masvingo United trio of Welcome Ndiweni, Hardlife Mavundi and goalkeeper Francis Tizayi, Shabanie Mine’s Rowan Nenzou and his skipper Simon Shoko, while from Blue Ribbon and Motor Action they got Cabby Kamhapa and Allan Gahadzikwa respectively.
They also signed centreback Frank Mulambo from Nakambala FC of Zambia.
FC Platinum will start their 2012 Caf Champions League campaign with an away match to Green Mamba of Swaziland on 17-19 February and the return leg will be played between 2-4 March.
Winners between Green Mamba and FC Platinum will face Sudan’s El-Merreikh between 23-25 March and the return leg will be played between 6-8 April.
The coalminers, Hwange, participants in the Caf Confederation Cup, said that all their players were already in town and were most likely to start their training tomorrow before going full scale next week.
Assistant coach Nation Dube said that his team was busy with a few administrative issues which however would not delay their pre-season plans.
“If we finish what we are doing by today or tomorrow (today) then our preparations will start on Thursday before going full scale next week,” said the former club midfield general.
He said they would love to play a number of friendly matches with teams from neighbouring countries ahead of the first leg.
The coalminers, under Zambian and 2011 Coach of the Year Tennant Chilumba, registered their former players, Blue Ribbon captain Daniel Kamunenga and Farai Vimbisayi, who was with Dynamos, Zimbabwe
Saints’ Evans Rusike and Shabanie Mine’s Tawanda Mareya together with the players who did duty last season.
Chipangano, just like the other three Zimbabwe Caf participants, begin their African sojourn with an away trip to Zanzibar’s Jamhuri on the weekend of 17-19 February with the return leg set for the Colliery Stadium on 2-4 March.
Motor Action owner Eric Rosen, whose team play South African side Black Leopards, said the team will get back together today and unlike in previous years, they will not be going to an-out-of-town camp.
“The preparations start tomorrow and for the record we registered 27 players for the Confederation Cup not 19,” said Rosen.
He said they were not worried by the absence of their head coach Joey Antipas who is in Bulawayo with the Warriors preparing for an international friendly match against Botswana in Gaborone on Saturday.
Troubled Dynamos will begin their training on Monday next week, with the team leadership putting up a brave face amid reports that a number of their senior players are still to renew their contracts which expired end of last month.
Long-serving Murape Murape and 2011 Soccer Star of the Year Washington Arubi have since reverted to being Highfield United players with whom they have a three-year contract while hardman and captain George Magariro is yet to put pen to paper.
Murape and Arubi though have indicated that they still want to don the blue and white DeMbare strip.
Online Reporter