Chibuku was always going to be difficult: Mapeza

FC PLATINUM coach Norman Mapeza said he would have loved to progress further in the Chibuku Super Cup, but conceded it was always going to be difficult to excel in three competitions given their upcoming participation in the CAF Champions League later this year and the Premiership run-in.

Air Force of Zimbabwe side Chapungu United booted the miners out of the competition for the second year running at the first hurdle with a 5-4 penalty shoot-out triumph in Zvishavane over the weekend.

This left the miners with their work cut out for a successive league triumph, their only remaining chance for major silverware this year, but Mapeza said his charges would not be pressured into any achievement.

“We are not under pressure at all, last season we lost in the first round of the cup but what happened at the end of the season?

“I will not be pressured to win anything, it is a game of football and we lost, that is part of the game,” said Mapeza.

The FC Platinum boss conceded it was always going to be difficult to progress in the Chibuku Super Cup given he also needs to do well in the Champions League later this year as well as defend the Zvishavane miners’ league title.

FC Platinum were booted out of the Champions League by this year’s surprise packages Primero Agosto of Angola who have also claimed the scalps of Bidvest Wits and TP Mazembe in the competition.

Mapeza’s men will now be hoping to atone for their poor showing when they return to the Champions League competition in December.

“We still have the league we still have the Champions League, so it was always difficult to chase three competitions at the same time.

“Either you push for one or sometimes you lose everything, we wanted to push for the Chibuku Cup but it just did not happen so we need to remain focused and keep on working hard,” said Mapeza.

Meanwhile, the miners will be hoping to preserve their five-point advantage at the top of the Premiership table with a victory away to Triangle United at Gibbo tomorrow.

Triangle will be no pushovers given their consistent form in the top-flight this season.

In the reverse fixture they stood toe to toe with the champions at Mandava and Taurai Mangwiro’s charges were just unfortunate to leave Zvishavane with a point in an engaging 0-0 stalemate.