Premiership Anarchy

failed to take place following a row over the match venue between the league’s chiefs and the Mighty Bulls.
Premier Soccer League chiefs had,  earlier last week, confirmed a fixture programme that had the Harare derby slated for Gwanzura yesterday.
But the Mighty Bulls insisted that the game either had to take place at Rufaro or at Motor Action Sports Club.
Zifa were also needlessly sucked into the row after the association’s chief executive Jonathan Mashingaidze on Tuesday last week unsuccessfully tried to order the PSL to stage the match at Rufaro on Saturday.
In images that smacked of a circus, thousands of fans were left stranded outside Gwanzura yesterday as they patiently waited to be allowed to pay to watch the game that never was.
While the thousands of fans who — to their credit did — not turn violent, waited outside the turnstiles, CAPS United were inside in their strip as were Mutare referee Robert Mugorosa and his assistants Tendai Chavhanga, Kevin Ferenando, fourth official Langton Chitsa and match commissioner Tendai Bwanya.
The CAPS United team bus arrived at Gwanzura around 1.30pm and the players had a walk-around the pitch before they returned for a warm-up.
After the warm-up, CAPS United players took their positions and as a formality Mugorosa placed the match ball on the centre. 
But there was no sign of Motor Action as the Mighty Bulls, acting on the directive of their director Eric Rosen, remained holed up at their sports club where there was also a handful of police details and supporters.
Rosen is also the PSL board member (finance) and indications from the league last night were that his club would now be hauled before the disciplinary committee while the match would be awarded to CAPS United as a walkover on a 3-0 scoreline.
Both PSL board member (competitions) Tawengwa Hara and Ndebele maintained that the match should have been at Gwanzura and accused the Mighty Bulls of “deliberately trying to embarrass the league and their sponsors’’.
“As far as we know the match was fixtured for Gwanzura for Sunday.
“It’s unfortunate that the game failed to take place but our resolutions are clear that it’s going to be a walkover.
“The match will be given to CAPS United on a 3-0 scoreline.The issue of the match is not going before the disciplinary committee but we could call Motor Action to answer charges of embarrassing the sponsors,” said Hara.
Hara said the league would pay the police, the ambulance crew and the match officials who were at Gwanzura.
“The league is going to pay the expenses and we are really sorry for the fans who had turned up at Gwanzura hoping to watch the game,” said Hara.
But the Motor Action camp was defiant.
Mighty Bulls director Simeon Jamanda said they should have been allowed to choose the match venue as the home team.
“We approached Zifa during the week and asked if we could use Rufaro for our match against CAPS on Saturday.
“It was an arrangement we asked knowing fully well that Rufaro was going to be used for this international match between Zimbabwe and Nigeria.
“Zifa managed to avail the venue to us but because the PSL could not use the National Sports Stadium for the game between Dynamos and Motor Action, they then pushed us out.
“Their reason was that Dynamos use Rufaro as the home ground so we should move to Gwanzura.
“But why had they scheduled Dynamos at the National Sports Stadium yet even a child at primary school knows that there is Independence Day and preparations are going on.
“We told them that if we could not use Rufaro as we had wished, then we opted to play at our home ground and that is how things stand,” said Jamanda.
Motor Action director Rosen said he would fight to have the match rescheduled on a weekend date.
“Communication over the venue had been on-going the whole week and why was it not solved.
“If we had gone into the night trying to save the NetOne Charity Shield, why could we not do the same over the venue when we raised the issue during the week,” said Rosen.
On Wednesday last week, Rosen had written to the PSL pointing out the Might Bulls deserved first preference to use Rufaro on Saturday in this instance.
“We took the initiative from your advice and received an excellent response from Zifa and you are now denying us the opportunity of making good use of our home game.
“Kindly treat all clubs as equal partners without the need to show your preferential treatment.
“We insist that you reschedule our match to be played against CAPS United on Saturday, 14th April 2012 at Rufaro Stadium commencing 1500 hours,” read part of the letter.
Yesterday, Rosen said he would like to have the match rescheduled on a weekend at a venue of the Mighty Bulls’ choice.
However, PSL’s Ndebele said the league were amazed when Mashingaidze was sucked into the row.
“The Castle Lager League fixture Dynamos v Monomotapa was moved from Rufaro to accommodate the Nigerian women Under-20 team to practice in preparation for Sunday’s match against Zimbabwe women Under-20.
“Now that Zifa have indicated that the stadium is available on Saturday, 14 April 2012, we have to move the Dynamos FC v Monomotapa FC back to Rufaro.
“It’s very strange that the Zifa chief executive officer authorised your club to use Rufaro without consulting the league.
“We find it unprocedural that Zifa is dealing directly with PSL clubs on simple administrative matters,” wrote Ndebele in reply to Rosen’s letter.
The PSL also pointed out that Motor Action had not submitted its choice of stadiums for the 2012 season unlike other teams.
While Motor Action are set to face the music, CAPS United would greatly welcome the points.
The Green Machine’s chief executive Maxwell Mironga said they wait to be guided by the PSL.
“We had been told that the match is at Gwanzura and this is why we are here.
“As the away team we cannot control the gates and we wait to hear from the PSL,” said Mironga yesterday.