Papias regrets his FC Platinum stint

FORGOTTEN former FC Platinum striker Nigel Papias is ready to bounce back after a sixmonth sabbatical that followed a fall-out with the club executive.

For him, the 2018 and 2019 seasons were wasted years of his career.

In 2018, he joined FC Platinum, having proved his mettle during a stint at Bantu Rovers, where despite the club’s relegation, he was outstanding.

But it was his move to the 2019 champions that was regrettable as he failed to make his mark before he was sent on a loan spell to their cross-town rivals, Shabanie Mine.

While at Shabanie, he attracted the attention of serial champions Dynamos, then under Llyod Mutasa, though a deal never materialised as FC Platinum held on to the player until the Harare giants withdrew their interest.

A contract termination at FC Platinum followed, throwing him into the wilderness and an attempt to reinvent himself at Bulawayo Chiefs in the 2019 season failed.

At Chiefs, he was off-loaded halfway through the season following Joseph Sibindi’s sacking.

“I had a one-year contract. I terminated my contract with FC Platinum after some misunderstanding with the executive because they did not want me to join big clubs.

“I desperately signed for Chiefs because I was behind time. FC Platinum never wanted me to join big clubs even on loan, but the funny part is that I never got the chance to play at the club.”

Papias admits the spell affected him as he was forced to turn to running a family business after failing to secure placement in the league.

“I usually subscribe at FC Platinum gym. I once asked them for a favour to train for free, but they never replied to my request.

“Honestly, I am not fit even when I was doing pre-season training with Shabanie, I felt it. When I thought I was getting better, that is when the COVID-19 outbreak started. You know individual training is different, you can’t push yourself that much.

“Some coaches sometimes get in touch with me, but I know I have not been active for a long time so I tell them the truth.

“I need six months to work my way back up. I don’t want to put myself under pressure. I can’t just jump to a more competitive league.

“I moved back to my parents’ house and have been running their small businesses to survive.”

Papias has so far played for four clubs, where he scored 15 goals.