Div One sticks to 16-team league

Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
THE Zifa Southern region executive has decided against an 18-team Division One league and will instead run with 16 teams for the 2017 season.

Musa Mandaza, the Zifa Southern Region chairman, said the decision to reverse a 2015 resolution to have an 18-team league was aimed at improving the quality of competition in the league.

Attempts to implement the resolution last season flopped following the withdrawal of Victoria Falls side Trumus and the folding of Nust.

“As an executive we’ve said let’s have 16 teams because most of the teams have struggled to keep up. We want to avoid the issue of walkovers having noticed that some teams tend to fold in the second half of the season. Having a 16-team league will seriously enhance the level of competition,” said Mandaza.

However, Mandaza said the clubs would have the final say on the executive’s recommendations when they meet for their annual general meeting on March 11 in Bulawayo.

The Southern Region executive’s proposal may be the right tonic to do away with clubs that fail to fulfill matches.

The league ended with 15 teams last season following the expulsion of ZRP Hwange for failing to pay affiliation fees, resulting in them missing more than three league matches.

Victoria Falls Tigers also struggled with travelling and match officials’ allowances towards the end of the season and they were also walked over in a number of matches.

If the proposed 16-team league is endorsed by the clubs, Ntabazinduna, who finished 14th last season, will be relegated.

The disbanded Hwange Juniors will also make way for the four teams promoted from the Bulawayo and Matabeleland North Division Two leagues.

Chiwororo and Zim Leopards finished first and second respectively in Bulawayo’s Division Two league, while Moto Moto of Hwange and Victoria Falls’ Mosi-oa-Tunya won promotion from the Matabeleland North league.

The First Division set affiliation fees at $2 500 for old teams and $3 000 each for new ones in 2016.

Player registration fees were brought down from $60 to $20 per player and each club will register 30 players.

Meanwhile, the newly promoted clubs, Chiwororo, Zim Leopards, Moto moto and Mosi-oa-Tunya are expected to attend the Southern Region’s induction workshop a week before the March AGM.

@ZililoR