By Sheldon Hakata

ON Saturday November 25 2017, on a relatively chilly afternoon, FC Platinum made history by lifting their maiden Premier Soccer League (PSL) title when they broke a 50-year-old record in the country’s PSL.
For half a century, no club outside of Harare and Bulawayo had won the league title.
It has been a fairytale rise to stardom for a club, then known as Mimosa Football Club in the ZIFA Central Region Division One Soccer League in 2010.
Mimosa won the First Division Central Region title and in January 2011 changed their name to FC Platinum, marking the beginning of a journey that has taken them to the zenith of Zimbabwean football.
At the formation of the club, their intention was simply not joining the PSL, but to emerge as a force to reckon with in Africa.
But it has not been an easy ride for the platinum miners, who since their promotion, have seen a huge turnover of coaches including the late Bhekimpilo Moyo, Rahman Gumbo, Tendai Chikuni, Zambian Tennent Chilumba and Lloyd Mutasa.
But the envisaged championship remained stubbornly elusive.
The club made their debut in the CAF Champions League in 2012, just a year after they had gained promotion into the Castle Lager PSL and distinguishing themselves by finishing as runners-up to Dynamos.
In 2011, Gumbo who was coach had his dream of winning the title again wrecked by Dynamos who beat them on goal difference, after finishing tied on 58 points.
Mutasa also came close in 2013, but finished four points behind eventual champions Dynamos, Highlanders and Harare City who ended tied on 54 points.
Since Norman Mapeza took over from Mutasa in 2014, he has also been falling agonisingly close, finishing fourth that year and third in 2015.
Their maiden Africa campaign was largely unsuccessful due to the apparent lack of experience.
They were knocked out in the first round by Sudanese club Al- Merreikh on a 5-2 aggregate scoreline.
FC Platinum also tried their hand in Africa’s second tier, the Confederations Cup in 2015 after they had won the domestic Chibuku Super Cup the previous season.
They again could not go beyond the first round after suffering another 5-2 aggregate defeat to Young Africans of Tanzania.
However, the club did not give up on their dream, despite the disappointments.
FC Platinum had been known for stumbling at the crucial stage.
They finished fourth in 2014, third in 2015, second in 2016 and then first in the just ended 2017 PSL season.
The patience they had with their gaffer Mapeza after hiring the former national team mentor in 2014 has paid off.
FC Platinum have learnt the virtue of patience.
Most importantly, the team has refined their football philosophy to go beyond just winning matches, but exhibiting an entertaining style of play.
This year’s PSL title follows a four-year-long programme they set by hiring the league’s winning head coach.
The temptation then was to set demanding targets that aimed at instant results.
The team remained resolute, disciplined and stuck to their plan.
The entire team and stakeholders are credited with displaying this rare attribute.
Now the football kings are aiming to establish themselves as a force to reckon with in Africa as they brace for their second dance in the CAF Champions League next year.
The club won the PSL title on Saturday at Ascot Stadium in Gweru where they managed to shed off the perennial bridesmaids tag with a 2-0 victory over Chapungu United.
Mapeza’s men finished with 72 points, two ahead of nearest rivals Dynamos who also concluded the season with a win against Chicken Inn at the National Sports Stadium.
Dynamos’ win could have changed the complexion of the log table, had the platinum miners failed to collect maximum points against Chapungu United.
As FC Platinum are now targeting to spread their brand in Africa, they need guidance and support of the nation, at large.
Pure Platinum Play will look up to more experienced teams which have ventured into this challenging African Safari to lend a helping hand.
It was an amazing triumph for the Zvishavane-based outfit, one of the biggest football teams from outside the country’s two biggest cities to finally ending more than half-a-century of waiting, by being crowned champions of domestic football.
This was a combination of a good coach and a well-run professional football club finally reaping the ultimate dividends for their massive investment into this game.
They have led the way showing how a proper football club should be administered.
The win was a deserved triumph for persistence and quality for the club that has always been part of the championship race in the past half-dozen years but never appeared to have the character to handle the pressure that came with making the final leap into champions.
Mapeza, the mentor who usually animates on the touchline, urging his players on and on, could not believe he was the champion, again as a coach for the second time.
This follows his 2008 success with the now defunct Monomotapa FC.
In the build-up to the final stages of the campaign, the miners’ executive vowed that the push for their maiden crown was no longer an effort of the technical department and players alone, but a collective effort.
And indeed, it paid off as FC Platinum were duly crowned the 2017 PSL champions.
It was not a walk in the park, but Mapeza and his charges made it.
Congratulations Pure Platinum Play!