Chronicle Editor
Eddie Chikamhi, Harare Bureau
WARRIORS goalkeeper, Martin Mapisa, moved a step closer to the Spanish La Liga while defender Teenage Hadebe’s Yeni Malatyaspor was relegated from the Turkish Super League.
Mapisa will play in the Spanish third-tier, the Segunda División B, next season, after his club Zamora CF won the promotion on Saturday.
Zamora beat Gimnástica Segoviana 2-1 in the final of the Tercera División – Group 8 playoffs.
The team will also play in the 2020/2021 campaign of the Copa Del Rey.
The 22-year-old, who joined the club in January from Velez in the same league, was on the bench in the decisive encounter.
He made only three appearances since arrival and is expected to remain an understudy to first-choice goalkeeper, Jon Villanueva, in the coming campaign.
Mapisa dedicated the success to his late mother.
The former Aces Youth Academy prodigy lost his mother to cancer in April this year and was unable to come back home and pay his last respects due to the coronavirus travel restrictions.
“I know you’re listening from above. There’s nothing that I value more than your love. No matter where I am, or what I’m doing, your memories will always keep me smiling.
“Those we love don’t go away, they walk beside us every day. Unseen, unheard but always near, still loved still missed and held so dear.
“This is for you, mama. Love you so much mum . . . May your soul continue to rest in peace,” he wrote on his Facebook page.
But, it’s been a spectacular fall for Hadebe and his team, who last season were fighting in Europe, just two years after they got promoted into the top-flight of Turkish football.
Yeni Malatyaspor will not be able to play a further part in the Turkish top league following the 0-1 defeat to Gaziantep on Saturday.
Hadebe, who joined the Turkish outfit from South Africa’s Kaizer Chiefs in July last year, made 23 appearances in the league, and 28 across all competitions.
He has had some man-of-the-match performances, along the way, but was unable to help the club avoid the chop.
Yeni Malatyaspor have only been in the Turkish Super Lig for three seasons.
They finished the campaign on 32 points, three behind Rizespor who occupied the last position of safety.
Things got complicated for Hadebe, and his side, after their 0–3 loss to fellow strugglers Rizespor last week.
They had a good chance of surviving on goal difference if they had only won their last game.
The relegation comes as a huge disappointment following their exploits last season, which saw the club end fifth on the league table and qualify for the second round of the UEFA Europa League qualifiers.
Malatyaspor rose into the Super League for the first time, in their history, by completing the 2016-2017 season in the second place in the TFF 1st League.
They completed their first season of the 2017-2018 season in the 10th place in the top-flight league and went on to finish the last season in the fifth place.
The performance won them the ticket in the Uefa Europa League preliminary round last year.
But, they said goodbye to the European adventure early following the 3-2 aggregate defeat to Partizan Belgrade in the third qualifying round.
Yeni Malatyaspor failed to stay in the league despite collecting 24 points in the first half.
The changes in the technical department did not do them any good.
The side managed two wins, two draws and seven defeats, under new coach Hikmet Karaman.
Karaman explained that the team struggled to regroup after natural disasters, ranging from an earthquake to the coronavirus pandemic.
“There are times when foreign players are uneasy, but clubs are getting income from somewhere, they cannot pay the player when they cannot get income,’’ he said.
“This has affected us incredibly.
“It is a very sad situation.
“Malatya, Kayseri, the capital Ankara have had great misfortunes here.
“Expressing them, after the relegation, may seem negative when viewed from a slightly different perspective, but we are in the struggle.
‘’We experienced incredible things in this struggle.’’
The gaffer said they had a responsibility to fight for their city but they came short.
“So, we had a responsibility to the city. We have not come out of the pandemic,’’ he said.
“We could argue, but we came here, struggled and existed in this struggle, considering all the difficulties.
“We are extremely sorry for the city, but we cannot do anything.
“Hopefully, our federation will evaluate this issue well in the next week. Other teams empathise with the falling teams, and then everyone reaches the happy ending.”
Online Reporter