Postpone all fixtures: PSL club

EYEBROWS have been raised over the postponement of the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match between FC Platinum and Quelaton with some clubs calling for the cancellation of all league matches.

But the league yesterday said it had set other teams’ fixtures after considering the heavy fixture schedule  later in the year with so many international commitments lined up. Apart from the Warriors, Dynamos has a potential of missing eight weekends due to their participation in the Confederation Cup.
Also lined up is the Cosafa Senior Men’s Challenge in July.
The PSL postponed the FC Platinum match set for Mandava Stadium this week despite the fact that the club only has two players in camp with the national team which is preparing for the World Cup qualifier against Guinea at the National Sports Stadium on Sunday.
Asked to comment on the postponement, PSL chief executive officer Kennedy Ndebele said the match was postponed because Warriors coach Rahman Gumbo  was also the coach of FC Platinum.
“They have two players yes but remember, Rahman is also their head coach,” said Ndebele.
He said the league had used its discretion on the FC Platinum match as they felt the coach was as good as the absent players.
Charles Sibanda and surprise inclusion Welcome Ndiweni are the two FC Platinum players in camp with the Warriors.
Bulawayo-based side, Chicken Inn, who have two players with the national team in Njabulo Nyoni and Kudakwashe Mahachi, said while they might not have a problem with the postponement of the match, it was their opinion that all games should have been cancelled, since a precedent has been set before.
“We have no problem with that but we feel they should have postponed all the games as this is an international week. There is a precedent already,” said Chicken Inn chairman Lifa Ncube.
Zifa chief executive officer Jonathan Mashingaidze said as Zifa they do not interfere with the running of the PSL.
Last weekend, all PSL games were cancelled to accommodate the  Benjani Mwaruwari testimonial match at the National Sports Stadium despite the fact that it was not even on the Fifa calendar which compels clubs to release their players for national duty.
The testimonial saw the match between old foes Highlanders and Dynamos set for Barbourfields Stadium being postponed as the Harare giants had three players in the Warriors team that played the testimonial match.
Recently Gunners wanted their match against FC Platinum postponed because they had three players in the Zimbabwe Futsal team that lost to South Africa in a Fifa sanctioned World Cup qualifier match but their request was shot down.
Grudgingly they went to Mandava Stadium and lost the match 2-1.
In other countries, five-a-side is a stand alone association like beach soccer with none of the players crossing over.
Meanwhile, Hardbody’s match against Caps United set for Ascot Stadium on Saturday hangs in the balance following the call up of two more Makepekepe players by Gumbo into the Warriors camp to bring to four the number of Caps United players in camp with the national team.
Gumbo called up Caps United skipper David Sengu and winger Rahman Kutsanzira in addition to Tapiwa Khumbuyani and Nyasha Mukumbi who were called up earlier.
Asked whether the match was still on following the latest developments, Ndebele said: “I am yet to get an official position on that and until then I cannot say whether the match will be postponed or not”.