FC Ratanang faces collapse

Lovemore Dube

THREE men who share the same passion for football and community came together in 2021 to form a football team and they named it FC Ratanang.

The team was lucky to find an available Zifa Southern Region Division One franchise and campaigned in that division in 2022. One of the directors, Tadious Ngwenya says having a Division One team was not easy as there are no financial rewards at all. Theirs with his other partners Bhekimpilo Siziba who is based in South Africa and Ireland-based Mthulisi Sibanda was a dream to have a positive social impact.

“We met as people who had known each other before sharing the same passion for the game and the youth. We wanted a project that would speak to youths from Cowdray Park and surrounding suburbs. We wanted to give them something good to look up to for the purposes of wellness, recreation and career. Hordes of residents were being entertained every time we had a league game,” said Ngwenya.

Ngwenya said the shared passion was now becoming a headache with no corporate partners coming on board. He has had to dig deep with his partners to get resources for the team.

“It is not good at all, things are tough and a bleak future awaits the club,” said Ngwenya.

Ngwenya emphasised that running a Division One team needs a lot of sponsorship because of the travelling involved. He said being there on an everyday basis was too demanding hence the desire to have a partner or sponsor to underwrite expenses.

He said the trio was now suffering from fatigue and could not continue to hold on. After finishing sixth last season with one match to go FC Ratanang find themselves facing relegation with their 12th place now.

However, Ngwenya said they were happy with the impact they have made at Zifa and it pains them to see that Cowdray Park will not have a dedicated Division One side.

“We are happy we were filling a void. These youths had something to do and had hopes for a future away from crime. For these initiatives to work the community must help with resources to sustain the team and improve the lifestyles of the youths,” he said.