Editorial Comment: PSL must be hailed for job well done

zimpTHE curtain came down on the 2014 Castle Lager Premiership season at the weekend with Harare giants Dynamos cantering to their fourth successive title in dramatic fashion after clear favourites ZPC Kariba crumbled under the weight of expectation. On a beautiful sun-drenched Sunday afternoon, Caps United once gain came to the aid of their perennial city rivals by edging the Premier Soccer league debutantes 2-3 to hand the championship to Dynamos after the Glamour Boys beat How Mine 2-0 at the giant National Sports Stadium.

Elsewhere, FC Platinum beat Chiredzi 3-0 to finish fourth behind Caps United while Bulawayo giants Highlanders salvaged a bit of pride by beating Chapungu 2-0 to end on a credible fifth position to rescue a disastrous season in which they crumbled like a deck of cards in the second half following the sacking of coach Kelvin Kaindu and the departure of star players Kuda Mahachi and Milton Ncube.

Shabanie Mine, Black Rhinos, Bantu Rovers and Chiredzi FC have been relegated to the unfashionable Division One and will be replaced by Tsholotsho FC (Southern Region champions), Flame Lilly (Northern Region champions), Whawha (Central Region champions) and either Buffaloes Juniors or Mutare City who are still locked in a two-horse race with a game to go.

It has been a roller coaster of a season for the Premiership and we tip our hats to the management committee for a sterling job in ensuring the smooth running of the league. There were few disturbances during matches save for the Dynamos-Highlanders game at Barbourfields and the Bosso-ZPC Kariba match at Hartsfield. Caps United supporters have also been fingered in skirmishes where they have targeted their coach and players and we feel this should rooted out of the game.

We also commend the PSL management committee for maintaining the SuperSport deal that has seen the broadcaster beam live matches involving local sides to the continent. The deal has marketed the local game and in the process allowed players to be scouted by international agents.

With the national team on a rebuilding exercise and Zimbabwe out of the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations finals, we feel authorities have ample time to put their house in order and nurture the youngsters in the current set up so that they grow together and hopefully be a formidable squad for the future. The Zimbabwean game has been cleansed of the scourge of match-fixing and the just ended season was concluded without incident and the status quo should continue for the good of the game.

The African Union Sports Council Region Five Under 20 Youth Games open in Bulawayo next week and we believe that the legacy they will bequeath to the city is immense. White City, Luveve and Barbourfields stadia have been upgraded and this can only enhance Zimbabwe’s chances of landing the hosting rights of future tournaments.

Going forward, we feel the PSL can do more to assist clubs deal with their expenses by clinching more lucrative tournaments and negotiating with local authorities and other service providers to reduce their share of gate takings. Clubs are being bled dry by service providers such as the police, city council and levies paid to the Sports and Recreation Commission and Zifa.

In the same vein, we commend sponsors of smaller clubs that do not rely on gate takings for maintaining the teams in the face of a tough economic environment. This bodes well for the growth of the game. BancABC, principal sponsors of giants Highlanders and Dynamos, deserve special mention for taking away the burden of paying salaries and other major expenses from the two teams leaving them to concentrate on winning bonuses and other amenities.

This has brought order to Zimbabwe’s biggest sides and ensured harmony in their administration. The fine run of so called small teams such as ZPC Kariba shows that Zimbabwe’s game is growing and spreading to all corners of the country and this should be encouraged. National team selectors now have a wider pool from which to tap talent.

The quality of the competition in the PSL is certainly growing and the future is bright for Zimbabwean football. The Premiership management should continue running the game in a professional and transparent manner and maybe their counterparts at Zifa could learn a thing or two from them.

 

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