adminTakudzwa Chitsiga Sports Reporter
RELEGATED Premiership outfit Chiredzi insist they are not closing shop and will instead play in the Eastern Region Division One League with the hope of quickly bouncing back to the top-flight.The Lowveld-based side were one of the four teams that were demoted from the Premiership at the end of last year along with Bantu Rovers, Shabanie Mine and Black Rhinos.
The community-owned team spent a single season in the top flight in which they faced several PSL sanctions as they had in-house squabbles for the better part of the season.
Chiredzi were crowned Eastern Region Division One champions in 2013 when they finished undefeated throughout the season and played under the name Hippo Valley.
Moses Chunga who later on had a fallout with the club’s executive team, guided them into the Premiership and for the first half of their life in the top-flight.
Chiredzi’s hopes of playing premiership football were dented when their sponsors Tongaat Hullett said they were no longer in a position to carry on sponsoring the team in the topflight league, putting the prospects of them playing in PSL into disarray but they managed to march on.
The matter was then resolved after Zifa Eastern Region, with the assistance of Chunga, persuaded the sugar manufacturing company to cede the team to the community rather than selling the franchise away from Chiredzi.
Chunga then assumed the title of director of the club which did not go well with the executives who felt he was yielding too much power.
Club chairman Charles Muchatukwa said they are now working with people who understand what a community team is and will make sure Chiredzi remains alive. “We will be playing the Eastern Region Division One next season and we look forward to sitting down and affiliate with the league,” said Muchatukwa.
Online Reporter