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Paul Mundandi in Zvishavane
ZIFA Central Region Division One league champions Shabanie Mine have hailed FC Platinum for their assistance and sterling performance in the 2016 Castle Lager Premiership.

FC Platinum have been trying to mend bridges with their cross-town neighbours since their promotion into the PSL was not well received in the sprawling mining town.

Pure Platinum Play have offered lots of assistance to Shabanie Mine, who command a huge following in Zvishavane.

“FC Platinum has done a lot for us. We even owe our success to them. They paid part of our affiliation fees, which made us eligible to compete in the league (Southern Region Division One). At one point we had no money to buy fuel and they offered us diesel to travel to Beitbridge for our match against ZRP Beitbridge which we won 2-0 and those points helped us win the championship,” said Shabanie Mine chairman Elias Marufu.

“When our chairman Nephiel (Rugara) passed away, it was them that assisted us with funeral expenses. I am appealing to our fans to normalise our relations with FC Platinum because they are our neighbours and we must live in harmony. The club (FC Platinum) has tried as much as it can to reach out. In 2012 they offered us the services of Tarisai (Rukanda) Nelson (Maziwisa) and Raymond (Sibanda) and it was that same year we finished fourth in the league. We had hoped that they would win the championship as we always wish them the best and I hope this season they finally win it,” Marufu said.

Shabanie Mine are still eagerly waiting for the PSL and Zifa to resolve their relegation and promotion impasse, which is likely to be decided by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland.

Shabanie Mine are expected to conduct trials later this month.

“We are going to hear from our coach, but definitely trials will be held before the end of the month. We are also still trying to get a sponsor to bankroll the team,” said Marufu.