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Tadious Manyepo Sports Reporter
REIGNING Castle Lager Premier Soccer League champions FC Platinum have built their reputation as slow starters.
But their statistics have never been as bad as they are nine matches into the marathon.
Of course, the Zvishavane miners are not far off pacesetters Ngezi Platinum Stars, who are on 17 points, as only five points separate the rival platinum clubs.
But the four-time league champions are enduring one of the toughest spells since their promotion into the league just over a decade ago, having gone for five games without a win. They picked only three points out of a possible 15.
Even more unusual of them, FC Platinum have conceded a massive 11 goals in just nine games with each of the team’s three goalkeepers Wallace Magalane, Petros Mhari and Francis Tizayi having been given a chance to guard the posts.
Only basement side Black Rhinos, GreenFuel and ZPC Kariba have shipped in more goals. And the discourse has zeroed on the waning fortunes of a team which has won the league title for a record-equalling four times on the trot.
While the wheels are seemingly coming off the Zvishavane team’s ship, Mapeza has refused to buy into the end of an era rhetoric.
“It’s a game of football. It’s a phase, it will come to pass.
“I am not God. Do you know what is gonna happen tomorrow?
“So we can’t talk about the end of an era,” said Mapeza.
“Look at how many points are separating us from the teams who are on top of us.
“There was a time when we were trailing some teams with as many as 14 points (and we still recovered and won the title).
“But some of these teams, I think they are three points on top of us. So I can’t talk of an era, I am not God. I don’t even know where I will wake up at tomorrow”.
The former Warriors captain said there is no need to panic on the part of his team as the marathon is still in its infancy.
He has built a name for himself after recovering from dormant starts to win the league titles in the past.
Mapeza won the league stripes in 2008 with Monomotapa after failing to pick any points in the opening four games.
He has gone to win three more titles with his current employers and he reckons marathons are full of ups and downs.
“We have played only nine of the 34 games. Games will be won and games will be lost. The points difference is not that much,” he said.
“We need maybe a game or two and we are up there so I am not worried with what is happening now. It’s a matter of getting things right on our part”.
FC Platinum struggles are slowly affecting their players who for two matches have been involved in bad advertisement of the local game.
The Zvishavane charges mobbed referee Lawrence Zimondi who had waved play-on after defender Lawrence Mhlanga had technically restarted play from behind a position where FC Platinum were supposed to take a free kick in their 1-0 defeat to Herentals at the National Sports Stadium two weeks ago. After Herentals’ Davison Marowa fluffed the chance to double Herentals’ lead, the frustrated FC Platinum players confronted the referee before police details intervened to save the official.
As if that was not enough, the same players charged towards referee Edward Mucharambeyi in their 2-0 defeat to Ngezi Platinum at Baobab on Sunday.
They were protesting against the hosts’ opening goal scored by Tinotenda Murasiranwa claiming some illegal play had preceded the goal. Again it took the police and Mapeza who had to enter into the field of play to reprimand the players.
On both occasions though, the referees were right.
Online Reporter