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Norman Mapeza

Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
GRIEVING FC Platinum believe their recruitment strategy ahead of the Total Caf Champions League had a huge bearing in their early and embarrassing exit from this year’s competition at the hands of a well organised Angolan outfit Club de Agosto.

The Zvishavane-based outfit was sent packing out of the tournament on a 5-1 aggregate score line after losing their two preliminary round games in spectacular fashion despite adding seven new players to their 2017 domestic championship winning side.

Pure Platinum Play were first hammered 0-3 in the first-leg in Luanda before going down 1-2 at home on Wednesday to seal their fate in a competition they similarly fell at the first huddle in 2012 to Sudanese side El Merreikh.

The Sudanese side was ironically eliminated in the preliminary round of this year’s competition by Botswana’s Township Rollers, who beat them 4-2 on aggregate. A visibly distraught FC Platinum chairman Evans Mthombeni said high demands of the Champions League saw their players failing to cope, despite their individual talent.

“Without saying much or trying to belittle the players that we have; we would have done with two or so high profile signings in terms of the Champions League. This is a very demanding level of the game and if only we had a player of the calibre that play for the likes of TP Mazembe, or Ahl Ahly. Two or three of them would have given us the cutting edge. I think the guys we have might have measured to our expectations, but we fell short,” said Mthombeni.

Coach Norman Mapeza added Albert Eonde from Cameroon, Shadreck Mayembe from Zambia, Rahman Kutsanzira from Highlanders, James Mukombwe from Black Rhinos, Never Tigere from ZPC Kariba and Collin Phiri from Hwange, while Lawrence Mhlanga spent the whole of last season on the sidelines due to contractual issues with his previous employers Chicken Inn.

“It’s also best for a team to have the bulk of players for the Champions League to come on board while there is still time to gel with the technical or philosophy of the team. This was lacking from the new players and if you check, we ended up having to deploy players that we were with last year because it takes time for them to grasp the concept or philosophy of the team and what the coach wants them to do. Look at Never (Tigere), he tried his best in Angola and even here, but there are certain issues and he ended up being pulled out even though he is a very good player whom we hope will give us mileage in the local Premiership,” Mthombeni said.

Former Highlanders’ winger Kutsanzira had a blinder of a game in Luanda, but missed the return leg due to injury, while the foreign duo of Eonde and Mayembe never made it on the bench in both legs. — @skhumoyo2000