adminEddie Chikamhi Sports Reporter
MOSES Chunga’s newly formed Chiredzi Football Club are facing resistance from the parent company Hippo Valley who maintain that they have not disposed of their franchise. Chiredzi FC were last week given the green light to take up the Premiership slot following a meeting involving the community and Zifa last week.
The Hippo Valley management, however, were not represented at the meeting and the club’s outgoing chairman, Tarisai Mudambanuki, yesterday maintained they had not ceded the franchise to anyone despite their decision to dissolve the club.
Chunga yesterday charged that their efforts to keep the team alive were being frustrated by some members of the executive who are denying them access to the training ground facilities.
The club was using Chishamiso, which is owned by the Hippo Valley.
Chunga has appealed for audience with the chief executive officer of the parent company, Sydney Mutsambiwa.
“Things are not fine because they have asked us to stop using the facilities. No explanation was given.
“We still have contracts running until February 18 and we are aware that we have to move from the facilities after that stipulated date. But our problem is that Mudambanuki hasn’t facilitated for a smooth transition. Even up to now he hasn’t come to us to explain the company’s position after they indicated that they were not able to sponsor the team in the Premiership.
“They are the ones who took the decision. I feel they should have been a proper explanation on how the members of the disbanded team are going to get their packages and so forth.
“They were supposed to give us time for transition. Nothing has been done and we are now being directed from one office to another, we feel bitter and betrayed by Mudambanuki because we had put all our trust in him.
“We are appealing for the intervention of the chief executive, Sydney Mutsambiwa, to come and help us out of this predicament. Some of us live and eat football.
“Now they are instructing their juniors to stop us from training. There is no word from the senior management. I have tried to book an assignment with some senior guys since Thursday last week but it was all unsuccessful.” Chunga said Mudambuki should give a comprehensive explanation of the situation prevailing at the club.
“We would love to see Mudambanuki coming forward and sit down with us to discuss the modalities because he is the one who recruited us,” said Chunga.
“We have been given the franchise to continue with the team. The community is happy. The main issue revolves around the idea of transition.
“We are asking the company to let us continue using the facilities until we complete this transition period.
“So we are seeking interference from the chief executive because we may wrongly appear as people looking for confrontation when that is not the case. We are not fighting anyone.
“We are grateful for what Hippo Valley has done to take us this far and we promise not to let them down. We are just asking the company to afford us a transition period,” said Chunga.
Chunga said their wish was to continue working in partnership with the company as he believes the project will help the community in a big way.
He said the existence of the team will afford the community a chance to watch Premiership football again this season while providing talented players from the region with the platform to shine besides keeping them away from social vices like drug abuse.
“The potential to develop sport in that community is enormous,” said Chunga
However, Mudambanuki dismissed the new team and added that Chiredzi FC have not formally approached them to use their facilities. “The issue is that as Hippo Valley we haven’t parcelled out our franchise to anyone. Nobody has come and asked for the franchise.
“We are just reading it in the newspapers and I tell you if there was a proper transfer of ownership then there also could have been a proper handover-takeover and all those issues about the use of the stadium could have been sorted out.
“Personally, I am in the dark about the issue of the franchise, unless something happened behind my back. Our position is that, after we had dissolved our team, we are still waiting for guidance from Zifa.
Online Reporter