Chronicle Editor
Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter
FORMER CIWU coach Kudzie Mhandire has joined Bulawayo-based Arenel Movers as head coach.
Arenel were relegated from the Zifa Southern Region Division One League last season, but they have since been recalled to the league.
After initially resolving to have 16 teams for the 2020 Southern Region Division One season, Zifa has backtracked and left the league with 18 teams.
They will be joined by Bulawayo Chiefs juniors and Quality Foods, who earned promotion from Division Two, as well as Hwange, who were relegated from the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League. Mhandire, who took charge of his first training session at the weekend, is excited about his new project.
“The main goal is to make this club a force to be reckoned with. This is a new project altogether, with a new technical setup and philosophy. To select players is a process; remember this is a team that had been relegated. So, we will work with some of the players from last season and some new faces. New players will help in terms of competition for places in the team, which is healthy for any success at a club,” said Mhandire.
The Division One League season promises to be an exciting one with a number of top coaches making movements.
Try Ncube, who led Bulawayo City to the league title last season, has joined Mosi Rovers, while Bongani Mafu will be in charge of Hwange.
The affiliation fee for the 2020 Southern Region Division One season has been pegged at $25 000 for teams that were in the league last season and $30 000 for the newcomers.
Last season, newly promoted teams paid $2 500, while other teams paid $2 000 in affiliation fees. – @innocentskizoe
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