Chronicle Editor
Mukudzei Chingwere in ZVISHAVANE
Shabanie Mine . . . . . . . . . . . . (1) (1)
CAPS United . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . (0)
(match abandoned after 65 minutes because of crowd trouble)
AN explosive Chibuku Super Cup quarter-final match between league champions CAPS United and Shabanie Mine was brought to a premature halt at Maglas yesterday when some hooligans attacked match officials for ruling out an effort by the Green Machine’s Kudzi Nyamufukudza.
The hosts had surged ahead in the first half through a powerful diving header former Dynamos defender William Mapfumo. The match officials were forced to call off the match in the 65th minute when hooligans, purporting to front CAPS United’s interests, turned on the match officials for ruling out Nyamufukudzwa’s effort for offside.
Referee Philani Ncube, who was a controversial pick for this game, was forced to call off the match with his assistant Thomas Kusosa leaving the pitch with a nasty injury after he was hit by an object that looked like a bottle from the stands that housed Makepekepe fans. This match becomes the second in this tournament to be prematurely brought to a halt after the Yadah FC/Chicken Inn match was also ended before full-time. Match commissioner Gladmore Muzambi, who is the ZIFA Referees Committee chief, confirmed the abandonment of the match saying the officials were fearing for their safety.
“The match has been abandoned after the second assistant referee Thomas Kusosa was attacked by the supporters. He has suffered a bad injury and the referees are now fearing for their safety,” said Muzambi.
CAPS United have historically struggled against the Chinda Boys, especially at Maglas, with their last win here coming on the 24th of April in 2005. Makepekepe had the first good chance when John Zhuwawu laid the ball to his unmarked captain Hardlife Zvirekwi inside the box but the skipper hesitated to hit the target and, instead, sprayed the ball across the face of goal. The pass was missed by Dominic Chungwa who only needed a touch to turn the ball home. A minute later powerful midfielder Devon Chafa bossed his way through the middle to lay the ball onto the path of Chungwa, but the striker delayed pulling the trigger allowing Mapfumo to clear the lines.
Teenage Shabanie forward Wellington Taderera turned the CAPS defence inside out before pulling the trigger which was blocked by some brave defending from the league champions. After a quarter-of-an-hour of action, Phineas Bamusi flighted a cross to Zhuwawu but the latter headed straight at the Shabanie goalie Petros Moyo. Moses Muchenje then controlled the ball well inside the box but was casual with his lob which was easily collected by the Shabanie Mine gloveman. A minute before the breather, Shabanie Mine struck.
Midfielder Trevor Ajana flighted the ball from a corner into the path of Mapfumo who turned it home with a diving header past a hapless Edmore Sibanda. After the breather an otherwise exciting game of football was disrupted by some heavy winds. Five minutes after the hour mark Nyamupfukudzwa thought he had equalised for CAPS United but his effort was ruled out for offside which caused the abandonment of the match.
“We played very well and I am happy with the performance of the players, they did very well and deserved to be leading, if we had taken our chances we could have been leading three or more goals. You never know with football but the way the game had been going I think we were on track to win the match, remember we were leading when the game was abandoned. Now we wait for the decision of the match to decide the way forward,” said Shabanie coach Takesure Chiragwi.
CAPS United assistant coach Tostao Kwashi refused to comment about the incidents that caused the abandonment of the match.
“We played very well and we were all over Shabanie Mine, we had the majority of the ball possession and we deserved to win the game. I do not know what was going to happen if the game was allowed to continue but the players were doing well and deserved to win we were all over Shabanie,” said Kwashi.
Teams :
Shabanie Mine: P Moyo, J Nyabinde, B Mukundu, A Dzumbunu, N Mpofu, T Mupumha, F Mupasiri, W Mapfumo, T Ajana, T Chimoyo, W Taderera
Caps United: E Sibanda, V Musarurwa, K Nyamupfukudza, G Goriyati, S Makatuka, D Chafa, M Muchenje, H Zvirekwi, P Bamusi, J Zhuwawu, D Chungwa
Online Reporter