Ngoni Dapira 

MANICALAND’s flagship team in the 2019 Premier Soccer League (PSL), Manica Diamonds FC, yesterday (Monday) unveiled 19 new players that have been signed so far.

The Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) bankrolled team which was established just before the start of the 2018 season, came out on top of the Eastern Region Division One league ahead of the favourites, Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services (ZPCS) side, Tenax. The Diamond boys will now be making their debut appearance in the premier league hoping to write their own history for Manicaland and clinch the coveted league Cup. Luke Masomere was retained as the head coach of the team along with all his his technical staff.

The retained technical staff with head coach Luke Masomere (second from left front row) during the press conference.

The 2019 PSL is expected to start in the second week of March with the fixtures likely to be out on January 25. Out of the 17 teams in this year’s topflight league, Manicaland has one team, the Diamond (Ngoda) boys as they are fondly called, whilst Harare has six teams Dynamos, CAPS United, Harare City, Yadar Stars, Black Rhinos and Herentals, Bulawayo has three teams Highlanders, Chicken Inn and Bulawayo Chiefs, with Gweru having two teams Chapungu and TelOne.  The other regions, Chiredzi (Triangle FC), Mhondoro (Ngezi Platinum Stars), Kariba (ZPC Kariba), Zvishavane (FC Platinum), Hwange (Hwange FC) and Bindura (Mushowani Stars) also just have a team each.

Manica Diamonds chairman Masimba Chihowa however said the club was still in the process of recruiting other players. He said as a club they were so far very impressed with their new recruits who comprise of a selection of youthful greenhorn and some very seasoned players.

Chihowa said amongst its new signings they tried their best to honour the quota system of having more locally based players, but also decided to strike a balance of signing seasoned players to beef-up the team for a more competitive league ahead.

“We did not get all the players that we wanted on our wish list but the coverage was wide and very satisfactory. During the process we gave preference to Manicaland based players but failed to get some due to various reasons…Amongst the players we have, eight or nine have their roots in Manicaland. Either the parent or the player is from this region…During our recruitment we also seriously considered the issue of reducing the average age of our players hence the majority of players that we got both from the PSL and Division One league were between the age of 20 to 24,” said Chihowa as he unveiled the new signings.

Manica Diamonds FC executive with their new signing Wisdom Mutasa (centre), the son of football great cum coach Lloyd Mutasa.

The team signed five junior players that will join the main team and the players were strictly from Manicaland in respect of their quota system to promote local talent. Among the players is 22-year old Wisdom Mutasa, the son of Zimbabwean soccer legend and former Dynamos gaffer Lloyd ‘Samaita’ Mutasa. Wisdom, who once captained the national Under-20 side, was with CAPS United last season and is a promising talent expected to hopefully fully blossom at Manica Diamond FC this season. Wisdom made a name for himself back in 2015 when he impressed European scouts who took him, alongside friend and Aces Academy teammate Walter Musona, to Slovakia. He however had a short stint in Europe and the midfielder returned home after a few months to join ZPC Kariba.

Chihowa said so far 12 players who hail from the province had been signed, including a few players from last year’s team. Some of the other new junior signings that hail from Manicaland were Peace Makaha (22) from Dynamos, Last Jesi (23) from Buffaloes and Marshal Mudehwe (25) from FC Platinum. On the otherhand some of the locally based players from Manica Diamonds that were retained from the winning team include their top goal scorer, Steven ‘Dealer’ Sibanda, Lawrence Masibhera, Rodrick Mupfudza, veteran goal keeper Joram Muchambo and his second Godfrey Chisango, Timire Mamvura, Nelson Tachi  and Tinashe Chigede to mention a few.

Some of the seasoned players recruited include players like Partson Jaure a former Dynamos, FC Platinum, Ngezi Platinum  player as well as Prichard Mupelele (23) from Harare City and Green Fuels central striker Tendai Mukono to mention a few.

Partson Jaure

Chihowa an educationist by profession who is an avid soccer enthusiast said efforts to sign Ngezi Platinum Stars Liberty Chakoroma hit a brick wall as well as efforts to sign Caps United’s Pheneus Bhamusi and ZPC Kariba’s David Temwanjira. He said on the local front from the division one league they failed to get Nyasha ‘Tito’ Kamutuli from Tenax but discussions were still in progress.

The Manica Diamonds secretary general who is also the ZCDC head of public relations and community development, Sugar Chagonda said the press conference was meant to update stakeholders and fans of developments at the club as they prepare for their maiden voyage in the deep waters of the country’s topflight league.

The chairman also announced that Manica Diamonds would this year be starting a junior under-20 programme which will be under the guidance of Hebron Makukutu, a former Harare City and Mutare City Rovers player, who will be the head coach and will be assisted by former warriors attacking midfielder cum businessman, Lazarus Muhoni, who is also part of the club’s executive.