Highlanders: Be gracious in defeat.

FOR Highlanders, losing 1-0 to Mutare City Rovers in Rusape recently must have stung, or is it hit, them where it hurts most; especially after going from the high of massacring arch rivals Dynamos 3-0 to the low of falling to lowly Gusha Bhora in that unexpected reversal. The astonishing and aching defeat effectively rendered the axiom “be gracious in defeat” maximally alien to Bosso’s vocabulary.

While they were at a loss of tactics to overcome the struggling Mutare outfit, the Bulawayo giants certainly never ran out of words as they fired from the hip, salvos that ostensibly damned their conquerors.

In the aftermath of that loss, Bosso ganged up to spit out their piece of mind as they found faulty not with themselves but other forces. First, it was their coach Madinda Ndlovu who raved and ranted about perceived biased officiating favouring the hosts. “I have nothing to say to you. You can get a better comment from the referees. The referees will have a comprehensive comment for you. This was pathetic match officiating,” scornfully quipped the Highlanders trainer to The

Herald as he rebuffed the conventional post-match interview.

His sarcasm is not lost to us, but we nonetheless remind Madinda that referees do not give comments to the media and only compile their official match reports.

Not to be outdone, Highlanders chief executive officer Nhanhla Dube spewed a vitriolic diatribe of his own. “. . . approving Vengere is witchcraft. That PSL matches can be played on the type of pitch we played on today (last Wednesday) is unbelievable . . . that filed can’t even host social league football. How does anyone explain the excavation that covers the whole 12-yard area of one of the goal areas? How about the cattle paddock length grass? The dry surface that suggests the field was last watered weeks ago . . .,” snapped Dube on Facebook, as quoted by our sister paper Chronicle.

We perfectly understand that the Bosso boss was entirely speaking in hyperbolic terms to drive their case home, but we also remind him and Madinda that they should make their point on the pitch and help their team earn points. Perhaps the duo conveniently forgets that they have not had much joy on their visits to Manicaland province, where they have realised a miserly return of only one win in nine attempts.

But on the flipside, we acknowledge that the Highlanders legend and his CEO some- what make sense with their argument, which warrants consideration and discussion. For it was during the same week as Madinda made his remarks that Chicken Inn tactician Joey Antipas also had an axe to grind with referees following their loss to CAPS United (unlike the Dynamos opposite number Lloyd “Samaita” Mutasa who chooses to be diplomatic about it and would not speak or comment about things he does not have control over or cannot change).

As such, we implore the men in black to improve their game and it, therefore, becomes imperative that they be impartial in handling matches.

For Ngezi Platinum Stars gaffer Tonderai Ndiraya also raised the same issue about the state of the Vengere pitch when they lost there.

Maybe this is just another of several ways of setting an agenda – that of setting the media on the match officials so that they (the media) play their watchdog role and consequently bring the matter of biased officiating to attention while also effectively raising concerns over the deplorable state of some stadia.

As such, Zifa communications manager Xolisani Gwesela, who doubles up as chairman of the First Instance Body which oversees the inspection and licensing of match venues called on the relevant and responsible authorities to spruce up and maintain stadia well. If it is about football that you care let’s share the cheer because we are made for the game, mad about the game!

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With Dynamos singing the blues, we are keenly watching how referees will handle the remaining games and how the PSL and Zifa might react if DeMbare get relegated. A demoted team knows the route to Division One. – Richard Mahuhushe Chauke.

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The Warriors’ performance in Congo Brazzaville was good. However, it could have been better had they continued attacking and scored more goals. Leading 1-0 at halftime does not mean winning the game. We also lost too many balls in the middle. Khama (Billiat) and (Knowledge) Musona are very good when the team is attacking, but they should also help when with defending when we lose the ball. Khama deserves special mention for the way he played as he showcased good skill and moves. That draw away from home was not bad and the guys need to keep their standard up. — Tawanda Mhlanga, Dangamvura.

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