Hardbody caught unawares

In a telephone interview from the Midlands capital yesterday, Patrick Chikwanda, the Hardbody chairman said their joy of winning the matter had been short-lived as they now had to concentrate on recruiting players.
The development means that Hardbody will now be seeking players left out by other teams that started their 2012 preparations at the beginning of the year.

Chikwanda said their primary goal was to survive relegation and his sentiments may see them recruiting a number of experienced players.
“We are very happy with the outcome. The uncertainty as to which league we were going to play in led to our preparations having some complications. The players were not coming to training due to suspense associated with the case. On Monday we are starting our intense training and the coach Tavaka Gumbo has been busy in the last two days trying to get players he wants.

“I think to be realistic and looking at the time left before the start of the season the most ideal goal for us now is to have a squad that will make sure that we survive relegation,” Chikwanda said.
Hardbody lost utility player Moses Jackson to Chicken Inn. The player was one of their key players last season.

Chikwanda said Jackson was the only player that the club issued a clearance letter while other players were trying their luck at other teams.
Another player who they lost is former Highlanders striker Nhlanhla Ncube who returned to his Emakhandeni Pirates club after the end of his loan spell at Hardbody.
Another setback for the busmen is that they also lost potential sponsors due to the promotion battle that they had with Tripple B leading to the delay in announcing the Central Soccer League champions.

Chikwanda said his club always believed they were innocent and conceded that Tatenda Chingarah, the player who was at the centre of the promotion controversy, had made misrepresentations to the club.
“From the onset we knew that we were innocent. Actually the player is the one who had led to this but we did everything above board in terms of registration.

“Had we known about the anomaly, we would have not registered him.
“With that said and done, this case has had its negative effects as some of our sponsors drew back and now we hope that since judgment has been handed, we will manage to convince them to partner us,” said Chikwanda.

He could not be drawn to say who their potential sponsors were but according to  sources, Unki Mine had before the end of last season made a pledge to support Hardbody.
Hardbody missed out on sending their coaches to last month’s Castle Lager Premier Soccer League organised coaching course.
The club’s executive also missed a premiership strategic meeting that ends today in Harare.

Other regional champions Quelaton of the Southern Region, Eastern Region’s Buffaloes                and Harare City from the Northern Region attended.
Meanwhile, Tripple B benefactor Edward Kanyangu accepted the verdict and said his club did not have hard feelings about the judgment.
He said his club was ready to play football as they had been preparing for the 2012 season. Today Tripple B play Caps United in Harare.

“We had prepared ourselves to be ready for any outcome.
“We never stopped preparing as we knew that we had a chance to win or lose and besides, even after the outcome we were supposed to play soccer either in the Premiership or

Division One.

“We do not have any hard feelings about losing the case. We are going to try and win promotion this season,” Kanyangu said.
In dismissing Tripple B’s case, the Arbitral Panel ruled that the Beitbridge club pays the cost of the appeal as well as the fees levied by the Commercial Arbitration Centre.

Tripple B’s resilience in pursuing the matter after losing at the Zifa Appeals Committee exposed Zifa Central Region’s leadership which had used draft rules and regulations in docking Hardbody 42 points for using Chingarah.
“Much sympathy goes to Tripple B FC and the other clubs in the Central Region Soccer League which would have benefited from a deduction of points imposed upon Hardbody FC for its wrongdoing.

“Regrettably, unlike the position in many other countries, the principle of equity is not to be found in the law of Zimbabwe.
“… It is imperative that the Zifa Assembly should adopt its draft rules and regulations without any unnecessary delay,” the Arbitral Panel ruled.