We are excited about the new PSL season
THE 2024 Castle Lager Premiership season gets underway this weekend amid high expectations among fans that the domestic top-flight league campaign will be full of fireworks.
A number of developments, and sub-plots during the off-season, have fuelled expectations that the championship race will be full of life and will be a thriller.
There are huge expectations, as usual, at Highlanders who have brought back the coach who almost took them to the Promised Land in two remarkable seasons in 2012 and 2013.
Kelvin Kaindu, a Zambian who is a former player at Bosso, was the coach when the Bulawayo giants ended with the same number of points as champions Dynamos in the two seasons but, on both occasions, watched as their biggest rivals were crowned champions.
During the 2012 season, Kaindu and his men ended their campaign with 69 points, the same points as Dynamos, but finished second because they had an inferior goal difference.
Incredibly, Bosso lost just one of the 30 league matches they played that season but still ended up in second place.
Their only loss came in Harare when they were comprehensively beaten by Monomotapa 0-3 in the 24th game of the season.
Kaindu picked his men from the disappointment of that campaign to launch another strong campaign the following year and, by the end of the marathon, they once again had the same number of points as Dynamos at the top of the table.
And, for the second year in a row, they were beaten to the title because they had an inferior goal difference.
Bosso have never come closer to being champions in the last 11 years and their fans will be hoping that Kaindu’s return could provide the spark their club wanted to transform themselves into champions again.
That alone is enough to ignite interest in our domestic Premiership which is always in good health on the occasions that Bosso will be in the battle for honours.
Highlanders, Dynamos and CAPS United are key clubs when it comes to boosting the appeal of the local league among fans and when they are competitive we are guaranteed good crowds at our stadiums.
DeMbare ended last season in style by winning the Chibuku Super Cup but the off-the-field madness, which has seen businessman Vincent Chiwonza being removed from his position as vice-chairman, despite playing a huge role in turning them into a competitive unit last year, has dimmed expectations.
However, their acquisition of goalkeeper Martin Mapisa, who has returned home from a lengthy stint in the Spanish lower leagues, has boosted optimism among some of their fans.
But, the big deal has been the return of Khama Billiat to the domestic Premiership.
The former Warriors star left South Africa, where he transformed himself into one of the best exports to grace their fields, and returned home to sign for Yadah Stars.
His presence in our league has already boosted its interest and if Billiat can fire we can be guaranteed that a new army of fans will come to our stadiums this season.