GWERU – Long after the final whistle, the singing did not stop. Players danced barefoot on the soaked turf, fans in green waved shirts and flags in the rain, and coach Tonderai Ndiraya stood still for a moment — head bowed, hands raised.
Scottland Football Club had just done what few dared imagine: winning the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League title in their very first season.
Their 5–1 demolition of Kwekwe United at Ascot Stadium on Sunday not only sealed the championship with two games to spare but also carved their name into Zimbabwean football folklore.
The storm that broke moments after full-time only seemed to bless the scene.
“The rains came at the right time,” Ndiraya smiled later. “We are a Christian team. Maybe this was God’s way of saying, well done.”
Founded barely two years ago in Mabvuku, Scottland came into the league turbo-charged by their owner Scott Sakupwanya’s millions. Sakupwanya brought out his cheque book and signed seasoned names such as Khama Billiat, Peter Muduhwa, Knowledge Musona, and Ronald Pfumbidzai, who were moulded by Ndiraya’s disciplined touchline presence as they hunted down early-season pacesetters MWOS and later Simba Bhora.
Simba Bhora’s 1-1 draw with Highlanders on Saturday meant that Scottland would grab an unassailable points lead with victory at long-relegated Kwekwe United on Sunday.
All they needed was three points, but Scottland chose to win emphatically. Billiat opened the scoring midway through the first half after confusion in the Kwekwe defence. Tymon Machope, their leading scorer, doubled the lead before the break.
After halftime, Pfumbidzai added a third, Takudzwa Chakuchichi joined the party, and Machope converted a late penalty to make it five.
Kwekwe’s Takudzwa Chimhowa struck a spectacular consolation, but the result was beyond doubt.
The 5–1 win lifted Scottland to 65 points, seven ahead of second-placed MWOS who leapfrogged Simba Bhora — a gap that cannot be bridged. They become only the second club to win the top flight at the first attempt, matching the legendary Black Rhinos of 1984.
“The difference,” Ndiraya reflected, “is that Rhinos were already an established unit before they joined the league. We built this team from the ground up for the premiership. That makes this moment truly special.”
For Ndiraya, it was a record-breaking personal feat: the first coach to win back-to-back league titles with two different teams after winning it last year with Simba Bhora.
It has been a campaign marked by scepticism off the pitch and resilience on it. Critics questioned Scottland’s resources, ownership and staying power. Yet week after week, the team answered on the field — compact at the back, lethal on the break, driven by belief.
“This title means a lot for Mabvuku,” said midfielder Mthokozisi Mseba, drenched in rain and champagne. “People wrote us off. Today we made history for our community.”
As the rain turned the pitch to mud, Scottland’s players formed a circle and knelt in prayer. Around them, supporters chanted, “Champions! Champions!”
From a township dream to the summit of Zimbabwean football — Scottland’s rise has been swift, improbable, and now, undeniable.
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