Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
MANICA Diamonds FC coach, Jairos Tapera, is taking Sunday’s Chibuku Super Cup semi-final showdown against Dynamos at Rufaro Stadium in the capital, like any other match his side has played so far in the 2024 season.
Tapera’s men cruised into the semi-final of the Chibuku Super Cup competition, dismissing FC Platinum by a solitary goal at Sakubva Stadium recently.
The Gem Boys, who come into the sole domestic Premiership cup competition with tails high after a one-nil triumph over Highlanders at Sakubva Stadium in Mutare last Sunday, now have the Chibuku Super Cup silverware to fight for after losing grip on the league championship race.
Just like Highlanders, Manica Diamonds no longer have any chances of winning the 2024 Castle Lager Premiership title, even if they win all their remaining four matches.
More importantly for Tapera, the Chibuku Super Cup presents an opportunity for him to have something to show at the end of the season, given the resources that have been poured by their sponsors, Zimbabwe Diamonds Consolidated Company (ZMDC) towards the football project.
But Tapera is not moved.
“I think this is going to be a big match, given the status of our opponents – Dynamos. Who does not know that Dynamos are a big team? We all know that, but we are in the same league, and have played against each other before. Therefore, there is really no big difference from the matches that we have played against them and Sunday’s encounter.
“For me, I am preparing for it just like any match we have prepared for before. There will be no special arrangement in terms of our preparations for the semi-final match against Dynamos,” said Tapera.
Perhaps Tapera draws comfort or inspiration in that matches between the two teams have largely been a balanced affair.
In June this year, Dynamos and Manica Diamonds settled for their fifth draw since the Gem Boys’ promotion into the topflight Castle Lager Premier Soccer League.
In 2019, when Manica Diamonds played their first-ever Castle Lager Premiership season, the then league debutantes held the feared Harare outfit both at Sakubva Stadium and in the reverse fixture in Harare.
In 2022, after the resumption of sporting activities following a lengthy Covid-19 layoff, Manica Diamonds lost by a solitary goal in Harare, before forcing a stalemate at Sakubva Stadium in Mutare in the reverse fixture.
Last year, Manica Diamonds snatched a point in Harare, before hammering the highly fancied Glamour Boys 1-0 at Sakubva Stadium.
However, given the stakes at hand, Sunday’s semi-final clash could be a different ball game altogether!
The 2024 Chibuku Super Cup semi-finals start with reigning league champions, Ngezi Platinum Stars FC taking on this year’s championship hopefuls, Simba Bhora FC at Baobab Stadium in Mhondoro, before Dynamos and Manica Diamonds exchange sword of supremacy the following day at Rufaro Stadium.
