Online Reporter
Innocent Kurira, Zimpapers Sports Hub
PIETER De Jongh walks back into Mandava Stadium on Saturday with more than three points at stake. The Highlanders coach returns to the ground where his brief FC Platinum reign once sparkled, only to end in a blur of regulations and pandemic chaos.
De Jongh joined the platinum miners in January 2020, fresh from guiding Bosso to a Chibuku Super Cup win. His debut could hardly have gone better, a 2-0 victory over Highlanders in the Castle Challenge Cup at Barbourfields.
Weeks later the Covid-19 shutdown froze football and stalled his ambitions.
The pause proved costly. Caf rules barred him from leading Platinum in the Champions League because he held a Uefa A Licence from the Netherlands, not the required Caf A Licence. The club turned back to Norman Mapeza, the very man De Jongh now challenges.
“I am the head coach of Highlanders. Of course, I have coached FC Platinum. They are a great club, fantastic group, great people. I am still in contact with a few people. It is good to be back and see people physically. But I am the coach of Highlanders, and I want to put it that way,” De Jongh said.
Highlanders arrive in Zvishavane buoyed by a league win, a draw and a Chibuku Super Cup triumph that has lifted their dressing room mood. “Of course, we want to win. FC Platinum are like Scottland, big budget, big money, big players, big coach. But we are in a good mood. We have registered one win in the league, a draw, and a win in the Chibuku Super Cup. These results bring a positive atmosphere and strong team spirit,” he added.
Saturday’s clash carries personal weight. De Jongh will measure his Bosso side against a club he once led and a coach who succeeded him, with memories of a promising but unfinished stint hanging in the air.
Fixtures
Castle Lager Premiership
Saturday: TelOne v MWOS (Ascot); Chicken Inn v Kwekwe United (Luveve); Manica Diamonds v GreenFuel (Sakubva); Simba Bhora v Scottland (Wadzanayi; Herentals v Caps United (Rufaro); ZPC Kariba v Ngezi Platinum
Stars (Nyamhunga); FC Platinum v Highlanders (Mandava); Yadah FC v Bikita Minerals (Heart Stadium).
Sunday: Dynamos v Triangle (Rufaro)
