TelOne's fall from grace raises hard questions

Few clubs in the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League have experienced a more dramatic decline this season than TelOne FC.

Just a year ago, the Gweru-based side were one of the league's success stories. Guided by coach Herbert Maruwa, the WiFi Boys exceeded expectations to finish fifth, winning admirers for their organisation, discipline and ability to compete with some of Zimbabwean football's traditional heavyweights.

Fast forward 12 months and the picture could not be more different.

TelOne are anchored at the foot of the league table, fighting a battle few anticipated when the season began. Their fall has been as sudden as it has been alarming, raising uncomfortable questions about what has gone wrong at a club that appeared to be on an upward trajectory.

Perhaps the most troubling aspect of their struggles is their record at Ascot Stadium.

Once a fortress that underpinned the club's success, Ascot has become a symbol of TelOne's troubles. The team has already suffered eight home defeats, turning what should be a competitive advantage into a significant liability.

For supporters, the transformation has been difficult to comprehend.

In an effort to halt the decline, club management made the bold decision to part ways with Maruwa, the coach who had overseen last season's impressive campaign. The hope was that a change in leadership would inject fresh energy and inspire a turnaround.

Saul Chaminuka was appointed with the task of rescuing the season.

Yet the anticipated revival has failed to materialise.

Results have remained poor under the new coach, suggesting the club's problems extend beyond the technical bench. If management believed the coaching department was the root cause of the crisis, recent performances indicate there are deeper structural issues that require urgent attention.

What makes TelOne's collapse particularly puzzling is that the squad was not dismantled at the end of last season.

The core of the team remained largely intact, with the notable exceptions of Washington Navaya and Milton Chimedza, two influential figures in the club's top-five finish.

Their departures undoubtedly weakened the side, but it is difficult to argue that losing two players alone should trigger such a dramatic collapse.

Successful clubs routinely lose key personnel and find ways to adapt. The challenge is replacing quality and maintaining continuity. TelOne's struggles suggest either the importance of Navaya and Chimedza was underestimated or the players brought in to fill the void have failed to make the required impact.

Even so, that explanation only tells part of the story.

One of the most revealing insights into the club's current state came from Chaminuka himself when he suggested that Ascot Stadium may have become a psychological burden.

"I think that's the general feeling within the whole team, the players and myself included. I think we need to get away from this pitch and play elsewhere," Chaminuka said recently.

"If we are thinking of winning, you cannot talk about superstition, but when a team has lost eight games at home, that must mean something."

Those comments point to a squad grappling with more than tactical shortcomings.

Whether the coach was referring to the playing surface, the atmosphere surrounding home fixtures or the emotional scars left by repeated defeats, his remarks highlight a growing mental challenge within the camp.

Football is often decided as much by confidence and belief as by technical ability.

When players begin to associate a venue with failure, the pressure can become overwhelming. Every mistake feels magnified, every setback reinforces existing doubts and every home fixture becomes another test of resilience.

For TelOne, Ascot Stadium appears to have become a place where anxiety now outweighs comfort.

However, psychology cannot shoulder all the blame.

The club's leadership must also evaluate recruitment decisions, player performances, team leadership and long-term planning. While dismissing a coach is often the most visible response to poor results, it is rarely a cure for deeper institutional problems.

The reality is that TelOne's predicament is a collective failure.

Management, coaches and players all share responsibility for a season that has unravelled with remarkable speed.

Despite their struggles, there is still time to salvage the campaign.

The relegation battle remains open and a strong run of results could yet transform the narrative. But the margin for error is shrinking with every passing week.

Supporters who filled Ascot Stadium last season believing the club was building towards something special are now watching a team fighting for survival.

They deserve more than explanations.

They deserve answers.

The departure of Maruwa, the arrival of Chaminuka, the exits of Navaya and Chimedza and the astonishing collapse at home have combined to create one of the biggest mysteries of the 2026 PSL season.

If TelOne fail to identify and address the root causes of their decline, what began as a disappointing campaign could end in the nightmare scenario of relegation.

And if even the coach believes the club needs to escape its own home ground to rediscover a winning mentality, then the crisis at TelOne may be deeper than anyone initially thought.