City skipper bullish

Ellina Mhlanga Sports Reporter
HARARE City captain David Kutyauripo believes winning the Chibuku Super Cup on Sunday at Mandava will be a perfect consolation for his side’s failure to scale the heights they touched last season.

Fans will pay $1, for the cheapest tickets, to watch the match and a full house is expected at Mandava.

With one game left in the championship race, City are fighting relegation just a year after they almost won the league title last season.

This time last year, the Sunshine Boys had the destiny of the championship in their hands, needing just a win over CAPS United in their final game, to be crowned champions in only their second year in the top-flight league.

However, City were held to a 2-2 draw by Makepekepe and Dynamos, who won their last game, overtook them, by virtue of a superior goal difference, to win a third straight title.

The Sunshine Boys have struggled to recover from that nightmare, of coming so close, yet so far, from winning the league championship.

However, their fate, in the relegation fight that involves six teams, is in their hands as a win over Chicken Inn, in their final game, will virtually guarantee their survival.

Kutyauripo, who missed Harare City’s two league games against ZPC Kariba and CAPS United, as he served suspension for picking a red card in their match against Dynamos, said they need cool heads ahead of the Chibuku Super Cup final.

“As Harare City we played so many Cup games this year but we were failing at the first hurdle,” said the veteran defender.

“We played in the Bob @90 Cup and failed at the first hurdle.

“But we set down as Harare City players and talked about it, to say ‘look guys, people are saying we are losing it in the league and we have lost more games, including three Cup games, so let’s try to put our act together so that we move forward’.

“So everyone, from the begining of the Chibuku Cup, was focused so that we reach the stars and here we are now playing in the final.

“If we win on Sunday it will be a morale booster for Harare City, a consolation for the (way we have played in the) championship.”

The City skipper was speaking at his team’s training session at Gwanzura yesterday.

The seasoned defender said he was confident that his return, ahead of Sunday’s game, would boost his team that has been going through a rough patch.

“I was not playing for the past two weeks but I was with the team in spirit,” said Kutyauripo.

“I am back, it’s a motivation to the guys because I know somewhere, somehow, they were missing me.

“My team was playing good football but it was unfortunate we were losing. But I can assure our fans that ‘Diva’ is back and ready to fight for Harare City.

“As the captain of Harare City, I will try my best to make sure everyone is on their toes from the first minute until the last minute.

“And my motto is always ‘never give up’ and we always fight as a team.”

Kutyauripo said although FC Platinum were enjoying a good run in the league, anything was possible in a Cup game and they will be out in full force.

“Everyone is expecting Platinum to take the Chibuku Cup because they are playing good football of late but football is a crazy game, full of surprises,” said Kutyauripo.

“I can’t say we are going to win or what but we want to be ready and we are supposed to be ready, that’s what I can say. As Harare City we take every game as it comes. (FC) Platinum , of late, have been playing good football and they are winning but you never know what is going to happen on on Sunday at Mandava.”

A win on Sunday might help motivate the Harare City players ahead of the league’s last round of matches in which they need to win to ensure that they survive relegation.

“Everyone is raring to go, you know everyone wants to play in a Cup final because that’s where you judge where you are coming from and where you are going ,especially looking at our position in the league.

“It does happen in football because every time you want to win the league you know there will be some changes, some players leave and some come in.

“So maybe it took time for us to recover and gel after last season’s finale.”

The winner on Sunday will walk away $75 000 richer while the losing finalists will get $50 000.