Champions League headache for FCP

forward. Cases (of Covid-19) keep rising so we are all uncertain of the next step. The president will have to advise us on a new position,” said Chizondo.

Pure Platinum Play have played 26 matches in the Champions League, having made their maiden appearance in 2012 when they were knocked out in the first round by Sudan’s Al Merreikh following a 2-5 aggregate loss.

FC Platinum had walloped Green Mamba of Eswatini 8-2 on aggregate in the preliminary round.

They made a return to the African safari in the same competition in 2018, although they had participated in the less lucrative Caf Confederation Cup in 2015, beating Sofapaka of Kenya 4-2 on aggregate in the preliminary round before losing 2-5 in the first-round to Tanzania’s Young Africans.

In 2018, FC Platinum were bundled out of the tournament by Angola’s Agosto, who beat them 1-5 in the preliminary round.

They were to make a breakthrough by qualifying to the group stages in the 201819 version of the Champions League, getting their campaign underway with a 2-1 aggregate win over Madagascar’s Cnaps Sport in the preliminary round before accounting for Congo Brazzaville’s AS Otoho, albeit on an away goals rule after the two teams drew 1-1 in Otoho and 0-0 at Mandava Stadium.

They were then drawn in Group B alongside Orlando Pirates, then defending champions Esperance and Guinea’s Horoya.

Two home and away draws against Orlando

Pirates and losses at home and on the road to Esperance and Horoya saw Pure Platinum Play bowing out of the competition bottom of the group and winless.

They were back again the following season where they faced Callisto Pasuwa’s Nyasa Big Bullets of Malawi in the preliminary round, holding them to a nil-all draw in Blantyre before a nervy 3-2 win in the second leg at Barbourfields Stadium saw them progressing to the first-round and needing to beat UD Songo of Mozambique in order to get another dance in the group stages.

A 5-2 aggregate victory over the Mozambicans saw them become only the second local side to make back-to-back Caf Champions League group stage appearances after Dynamos.

Like their maiden campaign in the group stages, Pure Platinum play failed to register any victory, managing a single home draw against Al Ahly and losing the rest of the matches to Etoile du Sahel of Tunisia and Al Hilal of Sudan as well as to Egyptian giants Al Ahly.

FC Platinum’s Total Caf Champions League record

DL26 6 6 14 Success rate: 23.08%

F26

A38

24

LOCAL businessman Simbarashe Kahwaza has adopted Bulawayo City FC juniors and offered to pay their match day expenses when football eventually resumes.

Through his company Mighty Fandy Trading, which manufactures, among other things, water pumps, grinding meals, compressors and hammer mills, he will provide refreshments and meet other match day costs at the request of the club for junior teams.

City officials have been working to get partners during the Covid-19 lockdown.

“I was approached by Bulawayo City for help and as a resident of Bulawayo. I thought their proposal to assist the juniors was sound. If you look at it, we tend to go for senior teams, forgetting that the future lies with the juniors. We’ve agreed as a company that once this Covid-19 issue is over, we will assist the club’s juniors,” said Kahwaza.

The municipal club has survived the Covid-19 storm through the benevolence of well-wishers, who include Genstorm Global Supplies and Johane Masowe weChishanu Selbourne Park.

City were about to finalise a sponsorship deal with Ingwebu Breweries when the Covid-19 lockdown was enforced in March.

City vice-chairman Zenzo Moyo expressed gratitude to Kahwaza and said the club will continue with its hunt for more partners.

“For a club to survive, we need partners that will assist. We’re working round the clock to try and get more partners on board so that the burden is lessened. If you look at European clubs or even just across Limpopo (South Africa), most teams have numerous partners taking care of different sets of needs. That is what we want to do and we’re grateful to those that assist the club even when there is no action,” said Moyo.

“If you look at this deal with Mighty Fandy Trading, we’re preparing for the restart. We’ve been using this Covid-19 lockdown to make sure that we set up systems and not to be found wanting when action resumes,” he said. — @ZililoR