Chronicle Editor
Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
THE Premier Soccer League (PSL) chairman Farai Jere heaped praises on Chibuku Super Cup finalists, FC Platinum and Ngezi Platinum Stars, for displaying quality football which he said proved that the country’s game is at another level.
FC Platinum won the epic final played at Mandava Stadium on Sunday, beating Ngezi 5-3 after penalty shootouts as the match had ended in a 0-0 stalemate after regulation time and extra-time.
It was FC Platinum’s second Chibuku Super Cup win since the reintroduction of the tournament in 2014.
The Zvishavane side who were making their third appearance in the final, first in 2014 when they won the title when they beat Harare City after penalties and in 2016 when they lost 3-1 to Ngezi.
Both sides displayed exhilarating football, showing tactical and technical shrewdness, with the penalty shootouts the best way to decide the winner as it was an evenly contested encounter.
“It was quite an epic battle. We enjoyed the match. This is actually telling you the level of our football, how far we’ve gone because if we can have a final like this and the league is on, it’s going to be an exciting season. This is the level of our football that we want and we should be working on improving it.
“The display by the two platinum teams answers critics who have been saying our football has lost its touch. In this Chibuku Super Cup final we’ve witnessed one of the best matches which will attract fans to stadiums. It was an exciting match, the players gave it all, sponsors were here and everything was well arranged. From the PSL side we’re happy all the parties observed Covid-19 protocols,” Jere said.
The classic final was attended by top sports officials who included the Sports and Recreation Commission’s (SRC) board chairman Gerald Mlotshwa, acting Zifa chief executive officer Xolisani Gwesela and some PSL governors.
Jere revealed that fans had to be turned away as they could only take a limited number due to Covid-19 restrictions.
“It was a bumper crowd. This was a full crowd because what we’ve done is that the capacity of the stadia at the moment is 30 percent.
“Most of the fans had to be turned back because we wanted to control those numbers because of Covid-19. We have to follow those protocols as stated by the Ministry of Health and Government of Zimbabwe,” he said.
The PSL boss expressed his delight in witnessing the first final since football restart.
The last cup game he had attended was the Castle Challenge Cup that featured FC Platinum and Highlanders at Barbourfields Stadium in March, 2020 before all sporting activities were suspended following the outbreak of the Covid-19 pandemic.
“It feels so great and it’s exciting to have this final following the resumption of sporting activities which had been suspended due to the pandemic. We had to push for this to happen. A lot of people were worried about the rains as they thought this match was going to be washed away but what we saw is that the season has changed. This is what we’ve been discussing with fellow governors, football stakeholders to change our season and align it with the rest of the world. These are some of the takeaways from this final,” said Jere.
He said he hoped when league games resume, the same excitement they saw in the Chibuku Super Cup will light up the championship race. — @ZililoR
Online Reporter