Online Reporter
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
THE Manica Diamonds Class of 2025 faces a very real prospect of, not only being relegated to Division One, but also earning the dubious distinction of being the worst group of players in the club’s five-year history in the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League.
Their lacklustre performance last Saturday in the Chibuku Super Cup quarter-final match against Triangle FC served as a stark reminder to their fans that this group of players, whose performance was inferior to that of a social soccer team, seems unconcerned about the feelings of their supporters, their own careers, and financial well-being.
It is astonishing to consider that Manica Diamonds offers a winning bonus of around US$500 per player per match, yet the ageing squad, mostly comprising players over 30, chose to perform with all the passion and intensity of models on a catwalk.
Last Saturday’s 0-2 defeat at the hands of Triangle in the Chibuku Super Cup quarter-final match was a dismal display, characteristic of many matches witnessed by fans at Sakubva Stadium this season.
The Manica Diamonds players lacked cohesion, basic skills such as ball control, and accurate passing. For the most part, their only accomplishment was singing the national anthem correctly.
Their body language was unbecoming of a top-flight league team competing in a quarter-final match.
Even Tatenda ‘Gede’ Matiringe, the talented midfielder from social soccer side, Socco Golden Stars, would have outshone the Manica Diamonds players with his skill, vision, and discipline.
In reality, apart from their attractive jerseys and stylish hairstyles, Manica Diamonds lacked every attribute expected of a Premiership team.
In short, there was nothing ‘premier’ about this Premiership team!
But what went wrong for a team that began the season with lofty Premiership title aspirations, only to find themselves eliminated from the Chibuku Super Cup and facing a genuine threat of relegation?
In 2019, upon their promotion to the top-flight,
Manica Diamonds finished the season in an impressive fifth position under Luke Masomere, although it was Johannes Nhumwa who took over from mid-season.
The club concluded the 2021 season on eighth positionunder Nhumwa’s guidance.
Manica Diamonds finished the 2022 season on 10th position, also under Nhumwa, who was subsequently dismissed to make way for Jairos Tapera. Tapera achieved considerable success, leading the team to a
second-place finish in the 2023 season.
Naturally, their fans and neutrals alike believed that they would challenge for the top position by the end of the following season.
However, they dropped two positions to finish on the fourth place in the 2024 season.
As for the 2025 season, they are nowhere near contention for the PSL title or the Chibuku Super Cup championship.
Visibly distraught by the result, their coach, Tafadzwa Mashiri, had this to say: “To be honest, we had hoped to progress to the semi-finals in the Chibuku tournament. Unfortunately, we were knocked out. We accept the defeat and will now shift our focus to the league, where our primary objective is to avoid relegation at all costs.”
Mashiri acknowledged that the relegation battle is the team’s immediate concern.
“The relegation matrix is becoming increasingly tense with each passing week. Every match we play is a matter of life and death for us. Fortunately, our destiny remains in our own hands. We must work diligently to extricate ourselves from this precarious situation. We need to survive the dreaded drop.”
Mashiri emphasised that the team’s primary goal is now to avoid relegation and reassess their situation thereafter.
“I must say that this has been a unique season. With six matches remaining, the bottom half of the table is still embroiled in the relegation battle. We find ourselves among the teams fighting for survival. It has been an extremely challenging season for us as a club.
“We acknowledge our shortcomings. However, our top priority is to avoid relegation and then reassess our situation. In life, circumstances sometimes force you to reset and realign your goals according to the prevailing situation,” he said.
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