adminMukudzei Chingwere in Gweru
DESPITE not being initially registered for the Champions League, Ghanaian striker Ibrahim Dauda, remains on the radar of FC Platinum with the West African expected to be cast of the miners that will head for a pre-season camp in Bulawayo.
Dauda is one of three foreign strikers at FC Platinum as the Premiership kings prepare for their return to the Champions League stage for the second time.
But unlike Zambian Shadreck Mayembe and Cameroon’s Albert Eonde who have already secured contracts, Dauda is still searching and coach Norman Mapeza is understood to have requested for more time to assess him.
As FC Platinum head to Bulawayo for a three-week training camp, it provides Dauda with probably his last chance to convince the former Warriors coach that he is a genuine article.
Mapeza has already noted that Dauda is not the out and out striker he was looking for but has not closed the door on the FC Platinum hopeful.
FC Platinum spokesperson Chido Chizondo said her club still retained some interest in Dauda, hence their decision to send him to Bulawayo with the rest of the 28-man Champions League squad.
“Everyone is expected to report for duty by tomorrow (today) but Shadreck, Albert and Ibrahim are already here. The technical department said they need time to assess Ibrahim so he will also be part of the team for our pre-season training programme.
“We invited some foreign clubs for friendly matches but they are yet to confirm if they are coming or not,” said Chizondo.
Mayembe and Eonde had briefly returned to their native countries soon after formalising their papers with FC Platinum but they have come back to join their new club as pre-season training roars into life in Bulawayo tomorrow.
FC Platinum assistant coach Lizwe Sweswe said the technical department is happy that some players have already reported for duty in time with their arrival helping put all preparations into place.
The Zimbabwe champions are aware that they do not have enough time to fine tune before they plunge into continental battle with a preliminary round assignment early next month.
“I am happy to hear that some players are already in Zvishavane for the start of the pre-season training programme.
“To have everyone in camp in time is a boost for us as we will be able to work with a full squad from the start.
“But I have no doubt that we will start well with everyone available for selection and raring to go,’’ Sweswe said.
“I do not want to talk much since we have not yet started our training as a group but I am confident that by the time we will be required to play our first match we will be ready.
“The new players will also have time to gel and bond with the rest of the guys that are already part of us,” Sweswe said.
Sweswe also said they were happy with the professional approach taken by their players who have shunned the “money games’’ that usually characterise the off-season break in Zimbabwe.
“Football the world over has become professional like any other profession. When players are given time to report for duty they do that without any delays because that is their profession.
“We gave these players a programme to work with while on holiday and we know they will follow it since this is their profession,” said Sweswe.
The miners are likely to have little problem in getting into top gear ahead of the competition since they have retained the bulk of the players who won the Premiership crown following a riveting race that went all the way to the last day.
FC Platinum, probably drawing some inspiration from CAPS United’s decent run last year, are looking at making an impact on their return to the Champions League with a place in the group stages being their initial target.
Online Reporter