The ManicaPost
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
SCIENTISTS will attest that there are many types of headaches and this is probably reflective of Mutare-based Castle Lager Premiership teams – Manica Diamonds and Tenax C.S FC – who will spend the mid-season fortnight break pondering on ways to overcome unalike challenges.
The PSL recently announced that the league season will take a two-week break.
“This serves to advise that the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League will take a two-week break after the conclusion of MatchDay 17 fixtures scheduled for June 3-5, 2022. PSL matches will resume on Saturday, June 25, 2022.
“We advise clubs to liaise with stadium owners to ensure that all the necessary maintenance work is done during this period. We are grateful to all our stakeholders for their continued support,” reads the PSL notice to affiliate clubs.
However, the break will not be so restful for Mutare Premiership teams who find themselves in the midst of a dogfight to perform a smash and grab act in the title race for Manica Diamonds and to evade relegation for Tenax C.S FC.
For Chauya Chikara, as Tenax C.S FC are fondly referred to by their growing fan base, the whole matrix lies on how to motivate the bunch of promising average players to produce results.
Without taking anything away from the Tenax C.S FC Class of 22, with determined, yet little known individuals, the squad has given a very fair performance, probably least expected of a financially struggling outfit that is literally surviving from hand to mouth due to lack of sponsorship.
As the season takes a halfway mark break, they are precariously hanging just above the relegation red zone.
Their chairman, Stefani Masina, acknowledges that without sponsorship, the road has not been a stroll in the park.
“It has not been easy. Things have been difficult financially. This team is not bad at all. They have produced results that we hardly expected in some matches and I think that in itself is an indication that there is potential to compete favourably.
“The main challenge has been that of finances. We must admit that we have not been able to motivate these players enough. Football at this level is a source of livelihood and for a team to be competitive, there is need to motivate players, something we are falling short on,” said Masina.
The Tenax C.S FC chairman and his executive have consulted far and wide, but still there is no respite in sight.
Stefani Masina
“We have knocked on almost every door, but our plea has not received the responses we badly needed. We continue with our efforts to give the corporate world a reason to partner us. Painful as it is to note that even some Manicaland based companies see value in supporting teams based elsewhere while neglecting those around the province,” Masina added.
His Manica Diamonds opposite number, Masimba Chihowa will also have a busy break, pondering on ways to gain and not drop points, as his club now faces the final phase of the race for the title after blowing hot and cold during the first half of the 2021/2022 Castle Lager Premiership season.
Manica Diamonds coach, Johanisi Nhumwa endeared himself with football fans in Manicaland and beyond with an exciting, yet ruthless displays, epitomised by that memorable 6-2 drubbing of CAPS United at Sakubva Stadium in Mutare.
The Gem Boys, as Manica Diamonds are known, later went through a lean spell, dropping points through settling for draws in matches they were expected to make light work of their opponents.
This left the club executive under pressure to review Nhumwa’s contract.
However, an away draw against Ngezi Platinum and a victory at home against cross-town rivals, Tenax C.S FC seems to have given the club leadership and the fans as well, a reason to be patient with the former Masvingo United coach.
Thus Nhumwa is thinking long and hard on beefing up his strike-force.
“I think we need to get one or two good strikers on the market. We have been defending well, creating chances from the midfield, but the cutting edge has been lacking. This is the reason why we settled for too many draws including in some matches we could have easily won,” said Nhumwa in a post-match interview after last Sunday’s triumph over Chauya Chikara in a local derby encounter.
