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Eddie Chikamhi-Senior Sports Reporter

FORMER Zimbabwe international Norman Mapeza says there is no room for violence and hooliganism in domestic football as Castle Lager Premiership action returns a week after disturbances at Mandava.

Mapeza, who is the coach of FC Platinum, was not pleased after his side was involved in an abandoned match. Chaos reigned supreme last week as crowd trouble cause the premature end to their clash with CAPS United in Zvishavane.

But as they prepare for their next assignment away to new boys Arenel Movers at Luveve tomorrow, the platinum miners’ coach denounced the chaos and urged fans to accept the outcome of the game. 

“We were a bit shocked. We never thought the game would end like that but at the end of the day there was nothing we could do. It was something beyond our control. Our focus now is on the game against Arenel,” said Mapeza.

The platinum miners were leading 1-0 when the game was abandoned. They are likely to get the boardroom decision in their favour when the Green Machine appears before the PSL Disciplinary Committee in two weeks’ time. 

“If you look at our fans and the way they behaved, when those disturbances occurred last Saturday, is something good. Even after the game they never wanted to get involved.   So, we are going to Bulawayo and we should go with the same mentality. There are three results in a game of football. Things may not work well for us there; we have to accept it and move on. 

“We don’t want any violence; we don’t want people to fight because of football. My wish is for our fans to remain the way they have been since last year, no violence no matter the result,” said Mapeza. 

FC Platinum have made a bright start and are currently in second place on the log standings, albeit with a game in hand. 

Mapeza is particularly impressed by his side’s away form after picking points on the road against champions Ngezi Platinum Stars and Herentals in the only two away games they have played so far.

“For us, the most important thing is to go out there with the same attitude and the same desire which I’ve seen in the past five weeks.  We have been doing better away from home. If you look at our past few games away, we have managed to collect maximum points. 

“But this is football, and we are going into week six now and a lot of teams have gathered momentum. So, it’s important to go there with a positive mind and play our normal game,” said Mapeza.  

Makepekepe will be back home at Rufaro tomorrow when they host ZPC Kariba. Assistant coach Nelson Matongorere told journalists that the Mandava mayhem is now behind them as they look to put their campaign in the right tracks.

“This is a new game, and we always treat every assignment differently,” said Matongorere. 

“The FC Platinum game is now water under the bridge. All is going well, and we are happy that we are injury-free. All the players are ready to start. We are spoilt for choices because in every department everyone is available for selection. 

“So, we are happy. The situation is healthy in the camp and in terms of other logistics everything is in place for us to return to Rufaro. 

“We are happy to be playing in front of home crowds and that’s an added advantage,” said Matongorere.