adminThe country’s second oldest soccer club sunk to Zifa Bulawayo Metropolitan Province Division Two Soccer League but the executive are having non of it, arguing that only four clubs were relegated and that does not include them.
Chikwata were axed alongside Power Cosmos of Hwange, Sizani Fruits and Veg, Emakhandeni Pirates and Projects FC. Victoria Falls’ Sao Paulo threw in the towel midseason.
The writing was always on the wall that Zimbabwe Saints FC was taking a nose dive and the final straw was on Saturday when Bantu Rovers lost the championship race to How Mine after losing 1-0 to Rufaro Rovers.
Had Bantu Rovers won or played to a draw with Rufaro Rovers, Chikwata would have survived at the expense of Tshintsha Guluva’s opponents.
Scandal ridden Chikwata organising-secretary Jabulani Chinyangarara found relegation a bitter pill to swallow and called Chronicle Sport fuming saying they have not been relegated.
“Where did you get that information which says we have been relegated? That statement you wrote in your story (in reference to Monday’s story on How Mine’s promotion) is not true. We are still in the league because it’s only the bottom four clubs that were relegated because Sao Paulo surrendered before the end of the season,” said Chinyangarara who also runs the club’s dilapidated clubhouse.
Twice Saints were relegated from the PSL during his tenure in the executive, now he is taking the club to Division Two.
What the controversial Zimbabwe Saints official had forgotten is that in a Zifa Southern Region Division One annual general meeting which he attended at the beginning of the season it was agreed that the league will be reduced from 18 to 16.
This meant that five teams were going to face the chop with the club which ends the season on position 13 which Chikwata occupied in the final log will be relegated to make way for a Premiership side which would have been relegated.
Quelaton were axed from the topflight and for this reason, Zimbabwe Saints had to make way for the former.
Brian Moyo, the Zifa Southern Region secretary confirmed that Chikwata was relegated.
“Four teams from the Bulawayo and Matabeleland North Division Two Leagues will be promoted into our league. Like I said, this has been a fantastic season for us and I must commend referees because they didn’t succumb to big or small teams’ mentality.
“One example is that of the Bantu Rovers-Rufaro Rovers match which I can say was a double-edged sword as it was a championship decider and that result condemned a former big club, Zimbabwe Saints, to second division,” Moyo said.
Zimbabwe Saints last played in the Premiership in 2011 after buying an Eagles FC franchise but were relegated at the end of that season.
Chikwata’s fortunes started taking a wrong turn in 2002 when they were relegated from the Premiership but they refused to play in Division One in 2003 demanding annulment of their previous chop. They successfully contested the matter in court and were back in topflight in 2004 but were relegated at the end of that season.
They spent a season in the unfashionable lower league and were back in 2006 but they were axed again.
Chikwata were perennial campaigners in Division One from 2007 to 2010 and had it not been for Thermal Engineering who bought a franchise for the club, Zimbabwe Saints would have sunk into oblivion a long time ago.
Final Zifa Southern Region Log
P W D L F A Pts
How Mine 32 20 5 7 53 30 65
ZPC Hwange 32 19 7 6 58 20 64
Bantu Rovers 32 19 6 7 56 22 63
New West 32 16 8 8 63 35 56
Bulawayo Chiefs 32 16 7 9 40 29 55
Black Boots 32 16 6 10 45 31 54
Railstars 32 13 14 4 42 27 53
Hwange Juniors 32 15 6 11 62 44 51
Mpumalanga 32 14 6 12 41 35 48
Ntabazinduna 32 12 10 10 44 37 46
Tsholotsho Pirates 32 11 11 10 34 24 44
Rufaro Rovers 32 9 11 12 34 47 38
Zimbabwe Saints 32 10 7 15 33 34 37
Power Cosmos 32 9 5 18 33 54 32
Sizani Fruits,Veg 32 6 6 20 29 57 24
Emakhandeni P 32 3 4 26 20 82 13
Projects FC 32 2 5 25 18 97 11
Online Reporter