dyton mupawaenda
Eddie Chikamhi-Senior Sports Reporter
AFTER seeing his players getting on the receiving end of some nasty tackles in the opening few matches of the 2024 season, FC Platinum coach Norman Mapeza thinks rivals in the Castle Lager Premiership are out to frustrate his team and has called on referees for protection.
The former Zimbabwe international was particularly annoyed with how their last two games against Chicken Inn and Herentals were turned into physical contests.
The platinum miners believe rivals could be taking it too far, at the risk of injuring his players, in trying to counter their free-flowing brand of passing football.
Mapeza wants referees to protect his players from being targets of the wild challenges, which he blamed for the long-term injury of former captain Petros Mhari before he retired last year.
“I spoke about it. I told the boys that if you are going to be casual you are going to get hurt. You need to be strong on the ball. Some of those tackles just went unnoticed, but I’m not saying that the referee was not good,” he said in the wake of the 1-0 win over Herentals, in a game that was characterised by episodes of flying tackles.
“I think the referee (Ronald Chinyani) did very well; he managed to control some situations, but last week again against Chicken Inn it was the same situation.
“I think it’s because everybody thinks that we want to pass the ball around so let’s go and hammer the boys. But, someone will end up getting hurt and that’s not what we want to see in our football.
“I think the only problem we have in the country is that referees don’t protect players who are being tackled from behind.
“You can never get away with these tackles in Europe; those are red cards, especially the first one when Tino (Benza) went on Wallace Magalane.
“He did it last year on Petros (Mhari) and Petros was out with a knee injury. He went again with a double-footed tackle on Wallace but he wasn’t booked. So, the referees need to protect players at the end of the day,” said Mapeza.
The platinum miners are set to host giants CAPS United in their next match at Mandava this Saturday. They currently sit on top of the PSL log table, unbeaten, with 10 points from four starts.
They registered wins over Chegutu Pirates, Ngezi Platinum Stars and Herentals while drawing with Chicken Inn at home. They are looking to increase their intensity.
“Slowly we are getting there,” said Mapeza.
“When we started it wasn’t like we were up there. The second game it was the same, we went to Ngezi Platinum and managed to grind a result.
“But what I am more than happy with is the organisation we have. That what is important. At least we are showing something at the end of the day in terms of defending.
“Then in midfield we still need to have more of creativity. It’s not yet there but as time goes on everything will be fine…
“I think all the points that we have collected were against big teams. For me, all the teams are the same. I put them at the same level, at par.
“Whether it’s Ngezi Platinum, whether it’s Chegutu Pirates or Arenel. These guys are here to compete. So, there is no way I’m going to tell my guys to slow down to 70 percent because we are playing Chegutu Pirates. No, it’s the same pace because they are also here to compete,” said Mapeza.
Online Reporter