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Robson Sharuko Senior Sports Editor
WITH about six minutes to go on Saturday, George Mawere left his seat in the VVIP Enclosure at the National Sports Stadium to get his green FC Platinum blazer.

‘‘It’s done,’’ he said, as he passed by where we were sitting.

It was time to put on his club’s official blazer, for the crowning ceremony, because – in the world in which Mawere lives – appearance is everything.

And, while this was a third straight consecutive league title for his club, under his watch, Mawere knew that it felt more special because of where it had been delivered.

In the capital which, until his Zvishavane club first transformed themselves into champions three years ago, had provided teams which dominated the championship this decade.

Until FC Platinum became champions in 2017, the marathon had been won by clubs from Harare six out of seven seasons with only Chicken Inn challenging that dominance with their success story in 2015.

The same capital which had provided a team, Dynamos, which scripted FC Platinum’s darkest hour on November 13, 2011, when the Glamour Boys went to Mandava and beat the Zvishavane miners 1-0 in the penultimate game of the season.

A draw for FC Patinum that afternoon would have been enough to hand them their maiden league title in their first season in the top-flight league. The humiliation for the hosts that day, after they had invited the local traditional chiefs to be witnesses to the occasion they believed would be their finest hour, was there for everyone to see.

A capital which, in the first decade after Independence, provided clubs that won nine of the 10 championships with Zimbabwe Saints providing the lone resistance in 1988.

The same capital which in the second decade, after Independence, provided clubs that won six of the nine league titles with Highlanders providing the lone resistance in 1990, 1993 and 1998/1999.

Winning the title at the National Sports Stadium, the home of domestic football, where the Warriors usually play their games, where Dynamos built their dream run in the 1998 Champions League which took them to the final and which CAPS United today call their fortress, was very special for Mawere.

When the unassuming business executive was ushered into the FC Platinum hot seat as club president, after Nathan Shoko left the team, the Zvishavane side was suffering an identity crisis.

They were accused of being too elite for the domestic league, some even accused them of being arrogant, and the first thing Mawere did was to replace the divisive ‘‘Kugona Kunenge Kudada,’’ nickname to a more acceptable ‘‘Pure Platinum Play.’’

The creation of the company, Platinum Holdings (Pvt) Ltd, was also a game-changer as it meant the club could now stand on its own, bankrolled by a private company whose business was to take care of the team’s interests, rather than keep being drip-fed by Mimosa Mining Company.

While CAPS United are owned by a private company, CAPS United (Pvt) Ltd, which is owned by Farai Jere and Nhamo Tutisani, there is very little to distinguish the firm from the club. The same is also true about Dynamos.

However, the distinction between Platinum Holdings (Pvt) Ltd and FC Platinum is very clear and there are some experts at the private firm who probably don’t know anything about football. But, they are only there to push the interests of the company.

Mawere barely gets any credit, whenever the story of FC Platinum is mentioned, because that’s the way he likes things to be – the leader who prefers to work his magic in the background. ‘‘The stars are the players and the coaches and not the leaders,’’ he says. ‘‘Our role is to provide guidance for the stars and an environment for them to do well.

‘‘It’s about the team and I am just a part of this huge family and we win as a team and lose as a team. Guided by our footballing philosophy, which goes beyond just winning matches, throughout the season, we struck a delicate balance of fair and entertaining play that was matched by the highest professional standards.

‘‘We also we learnt the virtues of patience and humility along the way, which will undoubtedly go a long way in helping us to realise our mission to become a force to reckon with, not only in Zimbabwe but Africa at large.

‘‘While critics viewed our milestones as overambitious and impossible, we pursued our targets with dogged tenacity and discipline; and sure enough our strong resolve paid off.

‘‘Needless to say, for each of the past years, we have attained our yearly targets. Kudos to the entire team and stakeholders for exhibiting such a rare attribute.’’

Already, Mawere and his men are planning for next season.

‘‘As we celebrate this momentous achievement today, we remain alive to our vision to be a leading football brand in Africa and are in no way under illusion as to the amount of resources this will take; both material and talent,’’ he said.

‘‘This vision is no mean aspiration. It calls upon us to search for the guidance and support of the entire nation. Our success will definitely have far-reaching influence and impact, well beyond Zvishavane and the Midlands province, and as we celebrate today as the reigning Zimbabwe Premier League club football champions, who will once again go on to represent the nation at the highest level of club football on the continent, our celebrations resonate at national level.’’

Mawere probably now understands the pressure of leading the club which the President supports.

“At home I support FC Platinum. I also support the team which (Didier) Drogba used to play for  . . . Chelsea,” President Mnangagwa told Russian media in January.

Three years ago, Mawere became the first leader to guide a club, from outside Harare and Bulawayo, to be champions in 51 years since Father Anthony Davis led his St Paul’s Musami to success in 1966.

Given no club, from outside the main two cities did so in half-a-century, Mawere’s success story, guiding his team to three straight league titles, clearly makes him the winner of the Premiership’s football leader of the decade.