PSL hope for Mutare
MANICALAND has not enjoyed consistent top flight football action in a long time, with teams based in Mutare getting promoted and demoted in a short space of time, but the arrival of Manica Diamonds — a team that is yet to taste defeat in the Eastern Region Division One League — has charmed the hearts and minds of football fans who now believe the club could be the answer to the prayers of every football loving person in the eastern border city.
Since the good old days of trailblazing Tanganda FC, Manicaland has not known regular Premiership football with teams such as the now defunct Eastern Lions, army outfit Buffaloes and hopeless Mutare City Rovers all struggling to keep head above water in the competitive domestic Premier Soccer League.
Manica Diamonds – a well resourced outfit that is now attracting considerable crowds even when playing their Eastern Region Division One League matches at Mutare Boys High School given the renovations at Sakubva Stadium – has given fans a reason to believe in their capacity to have the staying power that might turn the newly formed club into a brand that identifies with football in Manicaland and Mutare in particular.
Bankrolled from the proceeds of diamond mining activities in Marange, the formation of the Manica Diamonds project was received as a sagacious community social responsibility initiative that makes sense compared to sponsoring a once off tournament like the Mbada Diamonds Cup we used to have.
Passionate football enthusiast, Donald Manhende, who is managing a number of local players, said Manica Diamonds is now representing the hopes and aspirations of football followers in Mutare.
Manhende, who sees nothing wrong in blending local players with those from other parts of the country, said many in Mutare are now hoping to see more local players showcasing their talents in Manica Diamonds’ colours.
“I think it is clear that Manica Diamonds is now representing the hopes and aspirations of football followers in Mutare. You can see by the increasing numbers of fans taking time to watch the team playing at Mutare Boys High.
“We all know that people have never wanted to go to Mutare Boys High to go and watch football matches and they prefer Sakubva but with the passage of time, the numbers are increasing at Mutare Boys High grounds because of the faith the people now have in Manica Diamonds.
“It is our hope that we will have more local players showcasing their talents in Manica Diamonds’ colours. There is nothing wrong in blending local players with those from other parts of the country but priority should surely be given to locals where we have a good player in the same position,” he said.
Manica Diamonds chairman Masimba Chihowa said their aim is to create a brand that identifies with Mutare and give a platform to youths in Mutare to market their talents.
“It is important to note that Manica Diamonds is a team for the people of Mutare and Manicaland. Therefore it deserves the support of every progressive football loving person in the province. We have been clamouring for such a project in the past and now that it is here our duty is to support it.
“We are aiming at nothing less that Premiership promotion and we will make sure that we compete in the top flight league for a long time. Surely, Mutare and Manicaland cannot afford to miss Premiership football with all the talented players that we have produced in the past and continue to produce,” said Chihowa.