The ManicaPost
Ray Bande Senior Sports Reporter—
MUTARE will go without a resident Premiership football team next season, thanks to the unmatched show of ‘Fair Play’ by correctional services side, Tenax which held Buffaloes to a one-all stalemate at Sakubva Stadium last Saturday.Coupled with the highly expected relegation of Mutare City Rovers, the eastern border city will once again settle for Eastern Region Division One football.
With Buffaloes, Tenax, Mutare City Rovers, Black Eagles and Africa Trust all in Division One, Manicaland will witness the four teams fighting on their own in the same league, a situation that is highly likely to benefit teams from other places such as Masvingo, Marondera or even Harare when the race for promotion intensifies next season.
However, it is the unanticipated stalemate between Buffaloes and Tenax that caught the attention of many as the latter made sure that they would not give the army outfit promotion on a silver platter.
Wild scenes of violence that rocked Sakubva Stadium soon after the final whistle last Saturday summed up the emotions and anguish that swept across the football family in Mutare.
This is exactly when some would be forgiven to proffer that at times, Fair Play can be so unfair!
Rumours of manipulation of match results that emerged after the match have only served to deepen the wounds of many who expected a quick return to Premiership football for Buffaloes. News of a $4 500 golden handshake that Tenax players and coaches allegedly got to fight long and hard to deny Buffaloes a simple 1-0 win they needed to progress to the Premiership, has left a sour taste in the mouths of many who had looked forward for another year with top flight football in Mutare.
The allegations have also gone viral on social media, with rumours that civilian players within the club were bitter as they did not benefit from the loot.
Tenax secretary, Elisha Chirashanye, denied the allegations that his team received a ‘morale booster’ ahead of the match against Buffaloes.
“All we wanted was to exercise Fair Play, nothing more, nothing less. We wanted to stick to the tenets of professionalism in football, that is all. We also wanted to protect our image as an institution. “After all, if we were paid to win the match, why did our opponents fail to play better than us to make sure that they are real champions I would understand it better if we were alleged to have been paid to lose the match because it is simple to do so,” said Chirashanye.
