Manica Diamonds extend Tapera’s contract with two more years
By Sport Reporter
DESPITE missing his given target of winning the league during his first tenure, Manica Diamonds have since renewed Jairos Tapera’s contract giving him a two-year extension.
The Gem Boys coach had a two-year contract, which expired on December 31, 2024, and part of his targets for that season was to win the Premier Soccer League (PSL) title, a mission he failed.
Under the tutelage of Tapera, Manica Diamonds finished as runners up in 2023 before dropping two more positions in 2024 to finish fourth.
The Mutare based outfit was favorite to win the title only to falter mid-season when they went for more than nine games without a win, surrendering the top spot to Simba Bhora, who were eventually crowned champions.
Manica Diamonds club chairman Masimba Chihowa confirmed Tapera was still with the Gem Boys for some time to come.
“We are still with Jairos and his technical team. We honestly think that they have a lot to offer to us.
“It is our hope that they will transform it into a good team.
“We had a good season, especially the first half only that there was a time we slipped and recorded, l think nine draws, which l think was uncalled for.
“We have to scientifically check what went wrong and fix that,” said Chihowa.
He added that one of the areas which the team improved in 2024 was in the Chibuku Super Cup, where they reached the semifinals for the first time in the club’s history.
“One thing l have to mention is we also did well in the Chibuku Super Cup for the first time, we were a little bit unfortunate that we lost on penalty shootouts to Dynamos in the semifinals.
“It is our hope that this coming season, we will put the same fight as we did the previous season,” he said.
Manica Diamonds seems to be returning a bulk of its squad from last season as they have been quiet on the transfer market, their only signing so far being Issa Sadiki whom they snatched from Dynamos.
However, they have also lost Liberty Chakoroma, who has joined Simba Bhora.
