adminwere getting a helping hand from referees.
The Zvishavane side said yesterday they are not paying any referees to play in their corner. Murape lit the blue torch-paper, ahead of the two teams’ Mbada Diamonds Cup semi-final showdown at Barbourfields, when he claimed that FC Platinum were recipients of favo-urs from match officials.
“Murape is a player and he is not an official. He must concentrate on playing football and he can play for any club, including us,” said FC Platinum secretary-general Phillimon Muvengwa.
“He should also remember that he is a Dynamos player but belongs to Highfield United and he must learn to respect other people before saying what he cannot prove.
“FC Platinum lost to Dynamos, Gunners (twice), Highlanders, Motor Action and we drew five consecutive games against Chicken Inn, Zimbabwe Saints, Mighty Bulls, Caps United and Masvingo.
“We did not cry foul for our loses or draws although there were questionable decisions by match officials, especially the Gunners match, where we feel we were denied a penalty.
“In the Mbada Cup we were denied a penalty when the referee opted to give us a free-kick outside the box when the offence was committed in the box. We respect the referees because we know they are professionals”. Muvengwa said Murape had crossed the line that divides professionals and amateurs through his reckless charge at FC Platinum.
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“We are even ashamed to hear a player of his calibre commenting on issues he is not well versed in whilst his officials are not commenting,” said Muvengwa.
“If Dynamos will be winning the championship, let them win on the field of play and not in the Press.
“When we lost, people were busy drawing graphs of DeMbare closing the gap but we did not even complain beca-use they were winning fairly and even when they are given penalties, we do not complain beca-use we know the referee would have done his work.
“We respect Dynamos and we wish to continue respecting them because they are a big club and we are a small club and we will also need to learn more from them.” Muvengwa said FC Platinum were not interested in courting the favours of referees.
“If we were buying referees, as he claims, how then is it that we lost the five matches with the home defeat by Gunners being the heaviest?
“In football it’s not about history but it’s about how you are currently performing. Is he doubting the qualities of our players and the technical team?
He should also know that they have won the championship with various clubs and some of them are even playing for the national team.
“When players are well catered for, they concentrate on their core business which is playing football and that is why they are achieving results.”
Murape said Dynamos were a poor club but had the right spirit to win the championship. Muvengwa said FC Platinum were now fired-up, after the accusations that came from Murape, to beat Dynamos in the Mbada Diamonds Cup semi-finals at Barbourfields on Sunday.
“The utterances have given us more courage to beat them in Bulawayo. We want to beat them in open play and my wish is for one of their defenders to create a foul in the box and we will beat them through a penalty,” said Muvengwa. “We will win 1-0 through that penalty which I am pretty sure, Menard (Mupera), will score.
“I want to highlight that football is not played on the back page of papers but in the football fields like Barbourfields.
“We have played several matches where the decisions of the match officials have not gone our way but we never made a meal out of it.
“No one ever went to town about our seemingly clear goal that was disallowed by match officials in our match against Kiglon at Gwanzura Stadium but all and sundry had seen that it was a genuine goal”
Muvengwa said it was time for players and club officials to respect match officials.
“I think it’s high time both players and officials respect match officials and it’s really weird when players leave their duties of showcasing their talents on the football pitches and become journalists or match analysts,” said Muvengwa.
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