FC Platinum league title under threat

FC PLATINUM are facing the grim possibility of losing the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League title they won last season should they be found guilty of using an ineligible player during the campaign.

The Zvishavane-based club were yet again victorious in the league last term, taking home the honours for the fourth successive time.

Their coach Norman Mapeza was winning it for the third time with the same team as the 2019 title was delivered by Lizwe Sweswe while the former Warriors captain was in South Africa coaching Chippa United.

For winning a fourth league title on the bounce, FC Platinum joined Dynamos and Highlanders as the only clubs who have won four straight championships in this country.

Yet all that could be sensationally swept away if the miners are to be found of having flouted football regulations.

The club is being accused of illegally fielding midfielder, Juan Mutudza, for the majority of last season without the consent of his parent club, Herentals.

The latter claimed the player still had a running contract with them which was due to lapse on November 30 last year.

The midfielder, who was key to FC Platinum’s success story last season, had been on loan to giants Dynamos between 2020 and 2021. He was supposed to revert back to the Students at the beginning of last year, as per the loan agreement between Dynamos and Herentals.

However, he was lured by Mapeza’s team with some hazy paperwork emanating from his clearance by Dynamos and registration by FC Platinum raising some dust.

Keen not to cause any drama, Herentals engaged FC Platinum, who even offered them a “bribe” to buy their silence, but the Students demanded that Mutudza should have been stopped from playing as a precondition to their negotiations.

Riled by FC Platinum’s supposed arrogance, Herentals decided to take the legal route and approached the ZIFA Player Status Committee.

And after fulfilling the ZIFA Player Status Committee’s requirements, including serving summons to FC Platinum, Mutudza and Dynamos, Herentals, through their legal team, are today expected to hand in the return-ofservice to the authorities.

The ZIFA Player Status Committee are expected to set the date of hearing on the matter as soon as they receive the signed papers from Herentals.

Herentals secretary-general, Fainos Madhumbu, revealed that they had, as per ZIFA requirements, served all the three parties with the summons and will be officially handing in the documents for action by ZIFA.

“Yes, we have completed due processes as asked by ZIFA. We were asked to serve the summons to all the parties concerned. We have done so already. And on Monday (today), we will be handing over the return-of-service for all the parties to ZIFA for further deliberations,” said Madhumbu.

“We served (the summons to) FC Platinum, Dynamos and the player at the centre of the matter Juan Mutudza.

“At this point, we cannot divulge anything else since the matter will be heard before a legally constituted board. What we can only say is that we have now fulfilled all the requirements and we will be handing in the documents on Monday (today).”

Acting ZIFA chief executive officer, Xolisani Gwesela, confirmed they had asked Herentals to serve the summons to the parties involved in the dispute, after which they would set a date for the hearing.

The Herald understands, if Herentals hand in the papers today, the matter would be heard as soon as this Friday.

“We asked Herentals to serve the summons to all the parties involved and we are waiting on them to give us the return-of-service so that we can set a date for hearing,” said Gwesela.

“As soon as they give us those documents, we will then set the date (for the hearing)...”

The Zimbabwean football stakeholders are waiting with bated breath to see how the matter will pan out.

There are allegations Dynamos, through their secretary-general Webster Marechera, fraudulently cleared the player without following due process.

Should that be found to be true, FC Platinum will still be culpable given their stubbornness even after Herentals had engaged them over the same issue.

And they could be stripped off their title in what would be an embarrassment for their growing brand.