FC Platinum parade trophy

football club defeated Hwange 2-0 at Rufaro on Sunday to lift the Bob ’88 Super Cup.
There has been a wave of expectation in this town since FC Platinum started their Champions League journey in style with an impressive 4-2 victory over Green Mamba in Swaziland and, with the return leg set for Zvishavane on Saturday, it’s likely to be party time all week for the team and its growing number of fans.
The arrival of some new faces at FC Platinum during the off-season, including the exciting Ali Sadiki, has fuelled the levels of expectations and yesterday the town erupted in scenes of delirium as the club paraded the Bob ’88 Super Cup.
It’s only the second time that a team from this mining town has won a trophy in the Premiership with Shabanie having won the BP Cup after a shock win over Dynamos at the turn of the millennium.
There is no questioning that FC Platinum are now the toast of Zvishavane and you only needed to be in this town yesterday to feel the impact that this football club is making on this community.
Replica merchandise for the club was selling fast and Miriam Ndanga, the saleslady at FC Platinum merchandise shop, told The Herald that business has never been this brisk.
Everyone, it appears, simply wanted to be associated with FC Platinum.
“This is my sixth jersey so far. I bought for my wife  and three kids and I have purchased two for myself. FC Platinum have done us proud and we need more trophies here,” said Watson Gumbo, a resident of this town, as he waited for the arrival of the team at Siboza business centre, about 10 kilometres outside this mining town.
“People thought leaving Harare for a mining town, one will be getting lost but we now want to show them that leaving the mining town for Harare one will be getting lost.
“Trophies are for the teams who are out of Harare this time.”
When the team and the trophy arrived, wild cheers erupted and everyone seemingly just wanted to be lost in the excitement.
Soon a road show started, with a number of vehicles joining the team bus as it made its way to Zvishavane and the parade soon arrived at Mandava Stadium where people were allowed in for free to join in the celebrations.
Motorists blew their car horns and it was clear that this was a town that was clearly in a party mood.
On a Monday!
“Bvisai butter vakomana, bvisai butter, zorai dovi vakomana, zorai dovi,” the FC Platinum fans sang in a mock rendition of the signature anthem popularised by the Dynamos fans.
That DeMbare, who just pipped FC Platinum to the league championship on goal difference and also knocked them out of the Mbada Diamonds Cup in the semi-finals, were the holders of the Bob Super Cup, gave the FC Platinum fans a reason to really enjoy their team’s success story.
A fierce rivalry is clearly developing between Dynamos and FC Platinum, obviously with the seeds sown from the two teams’ tough duels last season, and that the DeMbare fans sided with Hwange in the Bob ’88 Super Cup final, despite the coalminers being the team that knocked the Glamour Boys out of the tournament, showed the growing divide.
So, as FC Platinum fans celebrated yesterday, they were not mocking Hwange but DeMbare.
FC Platinum assistant coach, Tendai Chikuni, who took charge of the        team in the absence of head coach Rahman Gumbo, who is away on national duty with the Warriors in Burundi, clearly reveled in the limelight yesterday.
Club chairman, Thadson Zhou, had promised the Zvishavane community that FC Platinum would bring the trophy here.
And they duly delivered on their promise.
“The dominance by Harare teams must come to an end this season and teams out of Harare must have their share, beginning with the Bob ‘88 Super cup” said Zhou.
Beki Chitondo, the FC Platinum community relations executive, said the club was geared to bring more trophies to Zvishavane.
“We have done a miracle in the Midlands Province by bringing the second silverware to the town. We are very happy and we are going to bring more trophies and the cabinet will be full through the blessings of our elders in Mandava and our pastors in the town,” said Chitindo.
“I am very excited by the victory and the moment I enjoyed most was when the President, His Excellency Cde Robert Mugabe, came to greet us after the match.”
Zvishavane District Administrator, Nyashadzashe Zindove, said the success story written by FC Platinum made everyone in the community feel very proud.
“I am elated with the victory. The town is growing and as the District Administrator I feel proud of the achievement and I wish the other team, Shabanie Mine, could also do the same,” said Zindove.
Even the traditional leaders were also present at the celebrations yesterday, represented by Chief Mapanzure and Chief Mazvihwa.
“The team has lifted our flag high. It is a big achievement to have the President’s trophy here in town. We are now on the map in Zimbabwe and even in Africa. It has boosted the morale of the team ahead of the clash this coming weekend,” said Chief Mapanzure.