FC Platinum set up base in Bulawayo

CASTLE Lager Premier Soccer League side FC Platinum has again established a pre-season base in Bulawayo ahead of the start of the championship.

The Zvishavane-based Pure Platinum Play outfit arrived in the City of Kings and Queens on Monday for their three-week stay amid revelations by the club’s media liaison officer Chido Chizondo that the city has always provided them with a suitable atmosphere for their pre-season workouts.

“Today (yesterday) is our third day in Bulawayo for our three weeks long pre-season training. Our head coach Norman Mapeza has always preferred that we come to Bulawayo for our pre-seasons because it started proving to be an ideal place for us when we took part in the Caf Champions League competition games. The grounds are suitable and this is a city that helps us focus on our forthcoming season objectives,” said Chizondo adding that they are at the moment conducting closed door training sessions.

“We will be having closed-door sessions till the end of this week, meaning members of the media are not allowed. We will stand advised by the coaches, who will advise us next week on the open-door sessions,” said Chizondo.

Last season, FC Platinum finished second on the table after amassing 61 points, five behind eventual winners Simba Bhora.

The team recently roped in ex-CAPS United, ZPC Kariba and Bulawayo City coach Darlington Dodo to assume the role of assistant coach.

The platinum miners won four league titles on the bounce before it was wrestled by Ngezi Platinum in 2023.

To clinch their fourth title in 2022, Mapeza’s Pure Platinum Play collected 75 points out of 102 to help them brag of a good 74 percent success rate.

However, this was not to be for Mapeza’s men in 2023 as they only managed to have 55 points out of a possible 102 which left them at a 54 percent success rate.

The development meant that FC Platinum’s performance took a nosedive by a big margin of 20 percent.

Last season, they were left on a 60 percent success after dropping 41 points from a possible 102 -@FungaiMuderere