Online Reporter
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
MUTARE-BORN Warriors goalkeeper, Washington Arubi, will make a sensational return to where it all started – Sakubva Stadium – tomorrow (Saturday) when his new club, CAPS United, clashes with Manica Diamonds in a Castle Lager Premiership fixture that both teams badly need to win for different reasons.
CAPS United need to revive their waning title aspirations, while Manica Diamonds desperately need to find their way out of the relegation zone.
Arubi joined CAPS United recently, and has featured in two matches so far, opening his account with the Green Machine in the 3-3 stalemate against Hardrock.
CAPS United’s fading title challenge suffered another setback last Saturday when Makepekepe were held to a goalless draw at home by Ngezi Platinum Stars, extending their poor run.
The result left Takesure Chiragwi’s men 13 points behind leaders, Scottland, with only 12 matches remaining.
Makepekepe have now managed just one win in their last 12 league matches, a miserable run that has steadily eroded the promise of a campaign that once had them looking like genuine title contenders.
Be that as it may, tomorrow’s encounter at Sakubva Stadium will give football fans in Mutare the chance to watch one of their own – Arubi – a living legend in his own right, who traversed the length and breadth of the continent with the national team in a flourishing career that kept him on the books of different South African top-flight teams before deciding to come back home at the age of 42.
Arubi told Post Sport that the return to Sakubva is emotional.
“It is a great feeling coming back to play where all it started, and I feel honoured because it is like giving back to our community. It is also going to be emotional because I have a lot history in that stadium, and Mutare as a city. I am really looking forward to the game and give a great performance as a team and individual,” said the ageing, yet talented goalminder, who started his career at the Timothy ‘Sicho’ Masachi-coached La Sakubva.
It remains to be seen whether Arubi will be able to keep the Manica Diamonds strike force at bay and possibly breathe life into the Farai Jere-owned team’s aspiration to finish among the best in the Premier Soccer League.
Last Saturday against Ngezi Platinum, CAPS United dominated possession, and created the better chances, but repeatedly lacked the finishing touch as they failed to find a way past goalkeeper, Mariyoni Chang and a disciplined Ngezi defence.
Lloyd Njaliwa, Chawanangwa Kaonga and Chris Mugalu all squandered good opportunities, while Chang produced a string of important saves to preserve a valuable point for the visitors.
After the match against Ngezi Platinum, a disappointed Chiragwi said:
“It is disappointing. We dominated our opponents, and created so many scoring chances, but we lacked that cutting edge. It hurts. We did everything, but failed to score. That was the difference between bagging all the points and getting just one. It is so painful but we will fight till the end.”
On the other hand, Manica Diamonds badly need the three points, knowing fully well that the match against CAPS United might be their last of the 2026 season at Sakubva Stadium.
Manica Diamonds’ fight against relegation could be further strained if the renovations at Sakubva Stadium, which will resume this week, are deemed unable to coexist with competitive matches at the venue.
The Herbert Maruwa-coached team, languishing in the relegation zone with a mathematical chance of clawing out of the drop zone, might soon be forced to find an alternative match venue.
In his half-year report presented to stakeholders on Monday, at Mutare Hall, Mutare City Council Town Clerk, Blessing Chafesuka, confirmed that the renovations, mainly meant to have bucket seats installed, are now resuming.
“We have received the bucket seats. Yes, there were some delays with our procurement systems, but I can confirm that the Procurement Regulatory Authority of Zimbabwe (PRAZ) gave us the go ahead last Friday. So beginning this week, we should see movement. I do not know how we will go ahead with the contractor since we also have Manica Diamonds FC who had been given a provisional permission to use the facility, but now that the renovations are resuming, we are not sure how they will proceed with the team hosting its home matches there. We will try to engage.
“We do not know what ZIFA will say about having parallel arrangement of bucket seats being installed while matches are being played. Initially, ZIFA had refused, so provisional approval was granted for the time that works had stopped. Now that the works are resuming, we are not sure which direction ZIFA will take.”
Moffat Mungazi