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Sharuko on Saturday
FOR exactly two-and-half years, from February 2012 to August 2014, Norman Mapeza lived through a nightmare — tied to a contract that didn’t pay him a cent and a hostile, if not heartless, employer who had suspended him for a crime he didn’t commit.

Stuck in a messy hole, which drove away a host of prospective employers, Mapeza toiled for exactly 30 months in the shadows, ignored, unwanted and unpaid by a ruthless, if not merciless, employer who had long abandoned him.

Ever the model professional, Mapeza religiously respected his contractual obligations, even though the contract wasn’t bringing him even a cent, and his employer had sprayed him with something that emitted a very bad odour. An Arbitrator ruled that his indefinite suspension, on allegations of match-fixing, was unlawful and ordered ZIFA to pay him his salary and benefits, from February 2012 to April 2014, something that the association, weighed down by a US$6million debt, failed to honour.

The Arbitrator, Caleb Mucheche, said Mapeza’s suspension, was a mockery of an exercise and ruled that ZIFA “flagrantly, wantonly and brazenly violated (Mapeza’s) labour rights with impunity,” exposing the young coach to be “tried, convicted and sentenced by the media without an opportunity to be heard in sync with the fundamental tenets of natural justice embedded in the audi alteram paterm rule.”

The Arbitrator ruled that the mere allegation that Mapeza had been fingered in the match-fixing scandal was not enough to warrant Mapeza’s dismissal.

“If the respondent (ZIFA) was fully convinced that the claimant (Mapeza) had a case to answer, it should have arraigned him before a disciplinary panel for him to answer to those charges rather than leaving everything to its own whim and caprice,” ruled the Arbitrator.

“To add salt to injury, the respondent relegated the claimant to oblivion and unilaterally imposed Rahman Gumbo into the position of head coach, barely a day after discarding him.

“By employing Rahman Gumbo when the claimant’s contract of employment was still legally valid, ZIFA repudiated or short-circuited the latter’s contract of employment. The respondent flagrantly, wantonly and brazenly violated the claimant’s labour rights with impunity.

“The treatment of the claimant at the hands of respondent (ZIFA) from February 8 2012 up to the date he resorted to legal recourse resembles deep agony of a victim of naked injustice at the hands of spineless, heartless and cruel taskmaster.”

Ironically, a ZIFA-commissioned investigation into the match-fixing allegations, cleared Mapeza but he was still slapped with a six-month suspension, by the association, for a crime he didn’t commit.

Mucheche ordered ZIFA to pay him US$94 071, for the period stretching from February to October 2012, and a further US$5 000 a month from October 2012 to April 2014, bringing his earnings, minus bonuses and allowances, to US$174 071.

Of course, Mapeza didn’t receive a cent from ZIFA, but rather than create a storm, like others who have resorted to attaching the association’s property to try and get a settlement, Mapeza chose diplomacy, and decided not to keep fighting, which was quite remarkable, given the way this organisation had not only been ruthless to him but had also tainted his image.

WHEN THE NIGHTMARE COMES TO AN END

At exactly the same time Mapeza was suspended, Antonio Conte, then coach of Juventus, was accused of match-fixing and in August 2012, six months after Mapeza’s suspension, the Italian was suspended for 10 months.

This followed a ruling by the Italian Federal Court of Justice that “it seemed illogical that such a senior and experienced coach would say in the locker room, in front of 25 players, that ‘we are drawing this one,’” ahead of a game.

In September 2012, FIFA endorsed Conte’s ban and extended it worldwide, outlawing the coach from “all types of matches, including domestic, international, friendly and official fixtures.”

Juventus stood by their coach and appealed to Italy’s Sports Arbitration panel and the gaffer’s ban was reduced to four months and management and players dedicated their Super Coppa Italiana win to him, during his time on the sidelines.

Conte returned to the game, after the expiry of his suspension, on November 23, 2012, and led Juventus to the 2012/13 Serie A title, the second of three straight championships that the club had won under his guidance, he was named the 2013 Serie A Manager of the Year and won the 2013 Globe Soccer Award for Best Coach of the Year.

In August this year, two years after his career was briefly frozen by that ban for match-fixing, and just three months after leading Juventus to a third straight Serie A title, including a season they finished unbeaten in 2011/2012, Conte was named coach of the Italian national football on a €3,5million salary per year contract, in his two-year deal, making him the second-highest paid coach in world football, after Bayern Munich’s Pep Guardiola.

In the same month Conte was taking over as Azzurri coach, Mapeza’s two-and-half year nightmare finally ended when he was appointed coach of FC Platinum, taking over an ambitious team that had once again lost its way this season.

Some analysts questioned Mapeza’s move, labelling it risky, arguing that he was taking over a poisoned chalice that had consumed some of the finest coaches in domestic football, like Rahman Gumbo, and where Lloyd Mutasa had come short, Tennant Chilumba struggled before leaving prematurely, Philani Mabhena overwhelmed and where Tendai Chikuni couldn’t make an impression.

Just as well the football gods ended Mapeza’s nightmare in August, this is a special year for him, it marks the 20th anniversary of that unforgettable period, in his career, when he became the first in-field Zimbabwean footballer to play in the UEFA Champions League, taking on the superstars of Barcelona and Manchester United, in a tough group in which he played 450 minutes, the full 90 minutes in five of his team’s six games, in the colours of Turkish giants Galatasaray.

He missed one match, the 0-4 thrashing at Old Trafford, but played five games in the group — a goalless draw against the Red Devils in Istanbul, a 1-2 defeat at the hands of Barca at the Camp Nou, an unforgettable 2-1 win over Barca in Istanbul, and home-and-away identical 0-1 losses to IFK Goteborg of Sweden.

In those magical 450 minutes, spread between Istanbul, Barcelona and Gothenburg, Mapeza battled it out against Brazilian legend, Romario, Bulgarian superstar Hristo Stoichkov, Dutch immortal Ronald Koeman, Spanish master Pep Guardiola and a host of iconic Red Devils — Peter Schmeichel, Lee Sharpe, Steve Bruce, Paul Ince, Nicky Butt, Roy Keane, Mark Hughes, Ryan Giggs, Andrei Kanchelskis and Gary Pallister.

Interestingly, in the one UEFA Champions match that Mapeza played against Manchester United, that goalless draw in Istanbul, Gary Neville, David Beckham and Paul Scholes were not even good enough to make that Red Devils first team and were on the bench in Turkey.

In eight days time, Mapeza and his Galatasaray Class of ‘94/95, and their army of fans who were lucky to be in the Ali Sami Yen Stadium that night, will mark the 20th anniversary of that unforgettable night, November 23, ’94, when they humbled the superstars of Barcelona, recovering from an early goal scored by Romario, to win the game 2-1 with Hakan Sukur and Anif Erdem scoring very late goals.

But, of course, all that is all part of a golden past, what matters now is what he has been doing, in his profession as a coach, and three months after his return to the frontline, he stands on the threshold of winning a major piece of silverware, at Mandava tomorrow, when he leads an FC Platinum team, which has experienced a sensational resurgence since he took over, in the Chibuku Super Cup Final.

His quest is to succeed, in a brutal game that does not have space, or sympathy, for those who come second.

If he wins tomorrow, he takes FC Platinum back into the CAF inter-club competitions, after a two year absence, he has already taken them into the season-ending Mbada Diamonds Cup, there is even a possibility he could guide them into finish third, in the championship race.

When his team took on champions, and then leaders, Dynamos, in Round 23 of this championship race, FC Platinum were in sixth place, 11 points behind the Glamour Boys, but in the last six games, they have reduced the gap to six points, taking five points more than DeMbare in the 18 points that have been at stake, reducing the gap to six points and securing fourth place.

If he loses tomorrow, which is possible, he will feel the weight of the loss but it won’t be the end of the road for a coach who, 10 years ago, was Charles Mhlauri’s lieutenant as they guided CAPS United to the league championship, with a record number of points (79), losing only one game along the way, before he emerged, four years later, as his own man, to take Monomotapa to the league championship.

FC PLATINUM HIGHLIGHTS UNDER MAPEZA

FC Platinum have reaped TWENTY points in their 10 league games, under Mapeza, they had accrued 28 points in 19 games before his arrival, and in the last SIX games, after the team has adjusted to his tactics, they have taken 16 out of a possible 18 points.

In 10 games, FC Platinum have won as many games (SIX), as they had won in 18 games under Lloyd Mutasa, one game was under caretaker coach Patrick Mandizha, a draw against Bantu Rovers.

They have only conceded more than one goal, in one game, the 0-2 loss in the league to Triangle in Mapeza’s third game in charge, they haven’t conceded a goal in their last FIVE league games, and have not conceded a goal in SEVEN of their TEN games.

They are the only team to stop ZPC Kariba from scoring, in the championship favourites’ last EIGHT league games, in which Saul Chaminuka and his men have scored 18 goals, including FIVE in two matches against Dynamos and Highlanders, at an average of 2.25 goals per game.

They are the only team to beat ZPC Kariba in the last EIGHT games in which the Premiership debutants have beaten Highlanders (3-1) in Bulawayo and Dynamos (2-1) in Harare to stand on the threshold of winning an historic league championship.

FC Platinum’s TWO league defeats, under Mapeza, came in the coach’s second and third game in charge, and his fans can argue that the team was adjusting to the tactics of their new coach, and they are UNBEATEN in the SEVEN league games that followed, winning FIVE and drawing TWO, and have just conceded one goal

In Cup games, under Mapeza, FC Platinum have played FOUR matches, won FOUR, and are yet to concede a goal in 360 minutes of knockout competition action, including in the ZNA Charities Cup when they ran riot and hammered CAPS United 6-0.

They have scored 11 goals, in just four Cup matches, at an average of 2.75 goals per every Cup game that they play.

In League and Cup matches combined, FC Platinum have played 14 games under Mapeza, won 10, drawn TWO and lost TWO, scoring 21 goals against FOUR.

WHEN THE GIANT FALLS, THE JOKES EXPLODE

There has been an explosion of jokes, on social media, as rival fans mock DeMbare after their fall on Sunday.

Lazzie Hacha — DeMbare DotComs, last seen 4 hours ago, chazunguza mutunhu une nhunzi

DeMbare WhatsApp Group Chat, Sunday, November 9, 2014 (Humour Chat created by Joseph Shoko with help from Robson Sharuko)

Mushure: Morning boys

Pakamisa joined group

Pakamisa: Still feeling the pain wangu

Gondo joined group

Gondo: Takarohwa nezvehusiku boys, after I scored I couldn’t see anything, everything became blank boys, and our ‘keeper, too, couldn’t see anything, after that cross, from the same position Mambare also crossed for our goal, and that’s the Freak Goal of the Century. Zvakaoma!

Mukuruva joined group

Mukuruva: Kurisei kumba, regai timboita zvenyika kuno kuMorocco, zvemusi uya zvakaoma, even up to now I don’t know how I misjudged that cross, I have never seen such a wicked deflection in my life.

Sithole joined group

Sithole: Zvanzi there was only one gate on Saturday, the other one kuHeroes Acre ranga risipo, I can see Simba heading that ball goalwards and, somehow, that ‘keeper makes such a world-class save, pafungei boys dzangu, panga pasinga gedhi that side

Mutuma joins group

Mutuma: Zvanzi nema reporter Roddie missed very good chances, boys musadaro, makaona nyanga yangu yakabviswa na ‘keeper uye first half, woti nyanga yaSimba, ozoona ravo rekutanga, zvanzi paGamePlan yakanzi the Deflection of the Devil, hameno kuti zvinorevei, I was watching the replays, hapana pandirikuona Limited connecting the ball with his head for the second goal, kana kuti rakapfuura sei pana Mbara, hameno, ko kuzoti Stavo kutsikiswa nyoka tese takatarisa, from there ndopakabva second goal.

Mbara joins group

Mbara: Thanks Roddie, I was thinking I was the only one who can’t see how that cross went past me because I’m in a good position and covering the ‘keeper and I’m taller than Limited

Chihoro joins group

Chihoro: Boys, the coach is away and we have a big game against How Mine, haisati yapera nyaya iyi, let’s do what we always do.

Mukuruva: Manager, well said, the coach is saying we don’t retreat, we don’t surrender.

Limited Chikafa joined group

Mutuma left

Mbara left

Sithole left

Mukuruva left

Gondo left

Pakamisa left

Mushure left

Chihoro: Wakajaidzwa munin’ina, manje neni topedzerana.

To God Be The Glory!

Come on United!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Di Mariaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

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