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Lovemore Dube Sports Editor
THE biggest cup final outside Bulawayo and Harare in the history of local football takes place at Mandava Stadium this afternoon in the BancABC Sup8r tournament.
FC Platinum and Shabanie Mine will lock horns in what promises to be an explosive derby.
The match hype points to an exciting encounter set to be played before a full house at the refurbished Mandava Stadium, the home of the platinum miners.
Premier Soccer League chief executive officer Kennedy Ndebele appealed for self-restraint among rival supporters during the course of the week.
He said pitch invasion would not be tolerated and invited fans to a good afternoon of football to be beamed live on Supersport.
“Our appeal as the league is for fans not to invade the pitch no matter what the situation is. Even after the match we do not want to see any fans on the field of play.
“We are looking forward to a great final, good football and a great atmosphere,” said the PSL head of secretariat.
He has all the reasons to be worried about fans. Pitch invasions are not new at Mandava and this does not augur well for the sport in the days of live television coverage and besides it puts players, match officials, administrators and sponsors at risk.
Barring the spectator challenges, a great football atmosphere is in store. It will be FC Platinum’s yellow and green on one side and the maroon Shabanie colours on the other.
The venue will definitely be a colourful spectacle as supporters will be putting on their teams’ colours.
Never has Zimbabwe football played host to a final as tense as this one outside Bulawayo and Harare. The match can only be rivalled by cup final derbies of the 1980s pitting Black Rhinos and Dynamos, Caps United and Dynamos, Highlanders and Zimbabwe Saints. History will be made tomorrow.
FC Platinum are the bookmakers’ favourites. They have a team brimming with talent in all departments and a coaching department whose coaches Lloyd Mutasa and Masimba Dinyero have been to the podium a number of times.
They have the big match temperament while that is opposite of the Shabanie bench whose coach Luke Masomere fought relegation a number of times during his days as a player.
He is a mastermind when it comes to tactics and has given his less resourced players reason to believe in themselves. Under his reign the team looks certain to be playing Premiership football next year.
He has a huge psychological advantage in that he has beaten FC Platinum 1-0 in the first round of the league championship.
Charles Sibanda, arguably one of the best players in the opponents’ box and lethal finisher, Ali Sadiki and hard runners Mitchelle
Katsvairo and Donald Ngoma could carry the day for FC Platinum. They should however not expect to find it easy to beat Smart Muchabaiwa and Tafadzwa Mombeshora, two players in the Shabanie rearguard known to give hard times to strikers.
Tarisayi Rukanda and Caleb Masocha carry Shabanie’s hopes in attack and will have to contend with the duo of Thabani Kamusoko who has been a revelation in a defensive role and Daniel Vheremu.
There is $120 000 at stake for the winners and this should obviously motivate players to give it their best.
To add glamour to the final, the trophy will be delivered by helicopter.
Online Reporter