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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
HOW Mine FC are expected to name their 2017 season squad at the end of this week, with their Zambian coach Kelvin Kaindu saying he is building a team for the future.
The gold miners finished 10th last season.
They started their 2017 pre-season training a fortnight ago and have already lost left-back Qadr Amini to Zimbabwe’s Caf Confederations Cup representatives Ngezi Platinum Stars.
Kaindu told Chronicle Sport that he is happy with the response of his players, adding that the bulk of the 2016 squad had reported for duty.
“We’ve started preparations for the new season and almost everyone who was in our books is here. What we’re waiting for at the moment is the announcement of the start of the season so that we adjust our training programme,” said Kaindu.
“There are few players whose contracts ran out at the end of 2016 and we’re yet to decide who to retain from that group. There are also a few youngsters we identified during the course of last season who have been training with us. What we want to do is build a team for the future, meaning that focus will be on adding youngsters,” he said.
Kaindu declined to reveal the names of players whose contracts ran out, but Chronicle Sport has it on good authority that midfielders Tawanda Muparati and Fungai Chirinda as well as defender Victor Kamhuka are yet to renew deals with the gold miners.
Skipper Tapiwa Khumbuyani, midfielder Thembani Masuku and national team reserve goalkeeper Donovan Bernard’s contracts also expired at the end of last year.
Former national team and Highlanders’ midfielder Peter “Rio” Moyo, whose contract with South African National First Division side Witbank Spurs expired last year, is among the new faces that have already signed for How Mine.
The gold miners are also expected to find a replacement for Amini.
@ZililoR
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