By Sikhumbuzo Moyo
Two of the longest serving Premier Soccer League players in Zimbabwe, Clemence Matawu and Mkhokheli Dube have come down heavily on the league’s unwise decision to bar filming of visuals during the local game.
The two, who have close to a combined four decades of topflight football in Zimbabwe and abroad, believe the attitude by the PSL has a negative impact on the development of the game as players can’t improve on their mistakes while coaches find it hard to do proper post mortems of the games.
Taking to their Twitter accounts, the duo called upon the authorities to bring back video coverage of the local game.
“What is the story concerning video coverage of Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League. How can we move forward if teams and players are not able to do video post-mortem. Where are we gonna get objective statistics. Now time to choose best 11. When are we gonna stop relying on subjectivity and generality. How are we gonna market ourselves. Pliz bring back video coverage,” twitted Matawu, the 2006 Zimbabwe Soccer Star of the Year and the only player in modern day Premiership to appear on the calendar a record six times.
Matawu, who is studying for a sports science degree with the National University of Science and Technology also had a stint in Poland.
FC Platinum’s Mkhokheli Dube, who also played abroad in the United States of America, weighed in and said it will be difficult for the players to be marketed.
“This is very true , also this limits the exposure for our league and the upcoming stars. How do teams analyse their past games without the visuals? How do players improve if they are not shown their mistakes in video sessions? Above all how do we market our players?
“There are some situations that are easy to explain visually and players will understand. Also it will make players to be accountable for their mistakes,” twitted Dube.
The league banned private camera persons on its games and instead gave the broadcasting rights to the national broadcaster, ZBC, which however has failed to live up to the expected standards.
Efforts by some teams to hire their own private camera persons has also been violently squashed by some overzealous authorities in the league.
A few years ago, renowned cameraman, Thandazani Zimbwa had police details dispatched on him for filming a game at Barbourfields Stadium, despite having a contract with one of the clubs that were playing. The Chronicle
