Chronicle Editor
Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
BULAWAYO City Council and the Sports and Recreation Commission continue fleecing football clubs in the country while doing absolutely nothing to reinvest their share of gate takings into improving sports facilities.
The two take a combined 26 percent of gross gate takings from clubs per match played at Barbourfields and Luveve stadiums, but there is little evidence to show that they plough back that share into maintaining these amenities.
The Barbourfields Stadium turf was in a poor state when Highlanders played host to Caps United in a blockbuster league encounter last Sunday and it was evident that no proper work was done during the three months off-season period.
With the cheapest ticket going for $5, home side Highlanders grossed $76 710, but only managed to get about 42 percent of that figure after paying SRC $4 602.60, the same amount to Zifa and $15 342 to BCC, which is 20 percent of the gross gate takings.
After paying the three institutions, Bosso remained with $52 162.80 before PSL took its 10 percent share of $5 216.28, leaving the Bulawayo giants with $46 946.52.
Bosso then paid for the 100 police officers as well as other service providers just over $12 000, leaving them with under half of the total revenue.
“It’s a Highlanders game, but at the end of the day, we remain with a third of the revenue while other institutions that do little, if any in the build-up to the match, get a bigger chunk. As for the city council, they get so much as a single entity, but we don’t see what that money is used for. They tell us that we are only paying for using the turf, hence we can’t run those tuckshops inside the stadium, but if you check, the pitch is in bad shape so what are they doing with all this money,” asked Bosso chairman, Kenneth Mhlophe.
He said they were engaging council to reduce its percentage takings to a reasonable figure.
“Besides the council, we also have ZRP details that are paid per hour and according to their ranks, but we are saying why are they being paid when they will be on national duty? We hope the leadership will hear our cries because if you remember last time, our former chief executive officer Ndumiso Gumede wrote to the ZRP Commissioner requesting a police waiver, but that request was turned down by the then commissioner. We hope to get an ear from the new commanders,” said Mhlophe.
Meanwhile, only 803 of the paying fans used the One Money payment method from Bosso sponsors NetOne. The mobile network operator had undertaken to meet half the entry fees for fans that would pay using this mobile payment.
Online Reporter