Ex-Kaizer Chiefs striker Luke Petros Jukulile has guided Blanket Mine FC to PSL promotion in Zimbabwe during an unprecedented 33-match unbeaten run.
Jukulile, who turned out for Amakhosi in the early 2000s and the Zimbabwe Warriors, helped Blanket Mine FC win the Central Region Soccer League title with a game to spare, securing automatic promotion to the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League for the 2027 season.
It is the third time Jukulile has led a team to PSL promotion, having achieved the feat twice before with WhaWha FC in 2015 and 2019.
The former Kaizer Chiefs striker took over at Blanket Mine FC in January and assembled a strong side that also enjoyed a fairytale run in the maiden Munhumutapa Challenge Cup, a competition featuring lower division sides and Premier Soccer League teams, similar to South Africa’s Nedbank Cup. In addition, they were knocked out in the quarter-finals.
Remarkably, Blanket Mine FC have led the Central Region Soccer League from Matchday One, and now sit on 79 points, five points ahead of their closest rivals, Kwekwe United.
They will finish their season against Good Morning FC and will be hoping to complete a 34-match unbeaten league campaign, which would be an impressive record heading into the 2027 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League.
‘IT FEELS SPECIAL’ SAYS LUKE PETROS
Crucially, the CAF B holder has helped a team from Matebeleland South province make history. Blanket Mine are the first team from Matabeleland South to gain promotion to the PSL since the turn of the millennium.
He said: “I am very elated. To help Blanket Mine FC get to the PSL is a huge achievement for me. This is the third time I have managed to lead a team from this region to promotion and each time it feels special.
“I am happy to be back in the PSL. Many people underestimated this team because we were coming from what they thought was a smaller setup, but the boys believed. They fought hard the whole season and they deserve this promotion.”
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