Online Reporter
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
MUTARE-BASED Castle Lager Premiership outfit, Manica Diamonds firmly believes that there is still everything to fight for in the 2025 season, including the prospect of attaining their long-cherished Premiership title dream.
On paper, Manica Diamonds boast one of the strongest teams in the Castle Lager Premiership 2025 season, and in terms of resources, the club is also one of the well-financed teams.
With all that at their disposal, Manica Diamonds have failed to deliver results on the field, resulting in coach, Jairos Tapera being recently sent on administrative leave.
Speaking on a Diamond FM sports programme this week, Manica Diamonds secretary-general, Sugar Chagonda said although the club has been performing poorly in recent matches, they have not lost hope of a better second-half performance.
“As we all know, Manica Diamonds is our resident Premiership side in Mutare. We are 10th on the latest log standings, having managed three wins, 11 draws, and losing three times from the matches we have played so far.
“This is not what we anticipated at the start of the season. It is certainly way below our expectations. Everyone concerned with Manica Diamonds is unhappy with this. The administration and supporters are also unhappy.
“So, as leadership, we want to address the challenges the team is facing. If we look at our profile as a team, we are not where we are supposed to be. We are not used to such a lowly position as a club.
“So, we went through a soul-searching process, trying to identify where we are going wrong. It was, not just about the coaches, but we examined everything concerning Manica Diamonds, both on and off the field.
“If you look at how we are playing, even at our home ground, Sakubva Stadium, we are dropping points. At times, it is disheartening to lose matches in a similar fashion. This is where you see us leading in the early stages of the match, only to eventually lose. Therefore, this did not make us happy, hence this restructuring process. This is meant to put the house in order. We are now entering the second half of the season, and we still have hope that we can fight for the championship,” Chagonda said.
When asked whether there were possibilities of Tapera returning to the helm of Manica Diamonds FC’s coaching department, he had this to say: “Jairos Tapera is still with Manica Diamonds, but has been placed on administrative leave, and his assistant, Tafadzwa Mashiri, is in charge. We are proceeding with the restructuring process, and hopefully, we will achieve our aspirations.
“Yes, Jairos Tapera was not dismissed. He still has a valid contract with Manica Diamonds, but has been asked to step aside as far as the management of the Premiership team is concerned. Just like any other employment contract, one can be assigned to a different role within the organisation. It does not necessarily mean that he will return as head coach.
“The restructuring process will affect other positions, meaning that he may be assigned to a different role within the club, and not necessarily returning to head the technical department,” he said.
Responding to a question from a fan, who asked whether Kuda Mahachi was of any value to the club, Chagonda said: “Kudakwashe Mahachi is still at Manica Diamonds. He actually played well recently when we played against Bikita Minerals. We are hopeful that if he continues to train hard, we will soon see the Kuda Mahachi we all know.”
Meanwhile, the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match between Manica Diamonds and FC Platinum, scheduled for Sakubva Stadium on Saturday, has been postponed as the grieving Zvishavane side mourns the passing of their captain, Brian Banda. Banda died on the spot in a road traffic accident along Zvishavane-Bulawayo Highway in the early hours of Sunday.
The revised schedule of this weekend’s fixtures, released by the PSL this week, confirmed that the clash between the diamond and platinum miners has been called off.
