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FC Platinum on Monday and yesterday were alleged to be mobilising their fans to support their neighbours Shabanie Mine this afternoon when they clash with Dynamos at Maglas Stadium.
Word doing the rounds in the small mining town was that chiefs in the area met FC Platinum and Shabanie Mine football teams’ representatives with a view to asking their subjects to cease hostilities between the town’s two clubs, both of whom play in the Premiership.
Two chiefs are alleged to have attended the meeting yesterday in which it was agreed that the fans should join hands and support the two mining teams.
“It was also agreed that FC Platinum and Shabanie Mine Football Club are not enemies but rivals. We are going to give a feedback to our fans and more will be divulged to the Press by those who were chairing the meeting,” revealed a source.
The clubs’ officials could not be reached for comment last night over the said meeting.
But when the Dynamos fans got wind of the development they quickly called a Press conference.
Koniweki Machingura, the vice-chairman of the Dynamos fans in Zvishavane, accused FC Platinum of acting out of cowardice.
“They are not genuine and they want to be sympathetic yet they are just trying to cut points. They were celebrating last year to have Shabanie Mine relegated and they can still do the same if the same team faces relegation. They are wolves dressed in sheep’s skins.
“As Dynamos fans, we will not be happy to see Shabanie relegated and that is why we backed them last season and we still do the same this season.
“If Shabanie scores against us tomorrow (today), FC Platinum will be celebrating that the points have been cut. They know pretty well that they do not have support and would like Shabanie to support them on Saturday when they host Gunners at Mandava. Why all of a sudden are they clamouring for Shabanie success? They are bitter because they thought they would beat Shabanie in the derby this year but they failed. They also shocked us when they got rid of the Players’ Player of the Year (Menard Mupera),” said Koniweki.
He said FC Platinum should know that it took Dynamos 18 years to reach the final of the Champions League in 1998 and they can’t do the same in a year because Rome was not built in a day.
“Dynamos will always beat them home and away and they are still bitter about us.”
Shabanie fans on the other hand have sent a bold message to their neighbours saying their support was not welcome.
“We do not need their support after all. We are the majority and they are just 13 so it will be a drop in the ocean. We want the rivalry to remain and if they join us, football will not be exciting. Just look at the rivalry between Manchester United and Manchester City and that makes football interesting and it must always be there,” said John Tembo, a staunch Chinda Boys fan.
A survey, however, showed the Shabanie fans do not welcome the move to join hands with FC Platinum supporters.
“If they want us to join hands, they have to intervene on the rivalry between Dynamos and Caps United before they come to us. We are like water and oil and we will never mix. They are just wasting their time and as much as we respect the chiefs. They can’t tell us which team to support when it comes to soccer because we have freedom of choice,” said one fan who requested anonymity.
Online Reporter