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Fungai Muderere
KELVIN Kaindu and Genesis Mangombe have just under two weeks to get their teams ready for arguably the biggest match of the 2024 Premier League Soccer season.
The PSL league kicks off on the first weekend of March. And what better game to open the season than the clash between arch-rivals Highlanders and Dynamos at Barbourfields Stadium?
It will be a rare but exciting opening fixture for both Bosso and DeMbare.
Dynamos head coach Mangombe reckoned: “We have been in the pre-season preparing for these matches. It is a season in which we will seek to do our best.
“We are playing Highlanders in our first fixture but we will take each game as it comes while we seek to get maximum points.
“We actually expected to have a game of this magnitude as we now have about five big teams in the league.”
Bosso communications and marketing officer Nozibelo Maphosa said they were still figuring out which of their technical team members could grant Zimpapers Sports Hub an interview.
Head coach Kelvin Kaindu is yet to get his work permit. The club recently hired Try Ncube and Agent Sawu as first and second assistants respectively.
Last year, the first leg encounter between the two titans that was played in Harare ended in a nil all stalemate.
The second leg fixture saw Barbourfields Stadium being turned into a “warzone” when violence caused the abandonment of the match when the Glamour Boys were leading 2-0 after 37 minutes of play.
Bosso fans from the Soweto stand threw missiles and later invaded the pitch forcing the referee, Allen Bhasvi, to abandon the match.
This was after concurring with match commissioner Nelson Kusosa.
A 37th-minute attack by Bosso ended in penalty calls, dismissed by the referee.
And when a Dynamos player was injured resulting in a stoppage, Bosso players led by Andrew Mbeba and Peter Muduhwa mobbed the referee.
All hell broke loose when Bosso fans started throwing missiles and moments later breached the perimeter fence, forcing players off the field and fighting running battles with the police.
Both clubs were summoned for a PSL disciplinary hearing after being charged with contravening Order 31 of the PSL rules and regulations.
DeMbare were awarded the match on a 3-0 scoreline.
Highlanders were found guilty of failing to control their fans and were fined US$5,000, while Dynamos, whose fans also confronted Highlanders supporters, received a US$3,500 penalty.
Muduhwa got a four-match ban and a US$500 fine.
The ban was for “failing to protect match officials against acts or attempted acts of violence” after he allegedly stopped match officials from entering the dressing room during the pitch invasion.
Online Reporter
derick.khumalo