Moffat Mungazi
Lovemore Kadzura
Sports Reporter
THE Pacific Storm Eastern Region Soccer League has expelled financially troubled, JM Busha 54, from the league due to their failure to fulfil three consecutive matches.
The Murehwa-based club was struggling financially, and this was compounded by the fact that they were hosting their home matches at Rudhaka Stadium in Marondera, about 50km away from their base.
In a notice issued on Tuesday, league administrator, Fungai Munyoro-Chingaira said all matches played against JM Busha 54 were nullified, as they had not reached the halfway mark in the fixture list.
“This letter serves as a formal notice that JM Busha 54 has failed to participate in three consecutive league matches. We regret to inform you that JM Busha 54 is no longer a member of the Pacific Storm Eastern Region Soccer League.
“According to Section 9.7(c) of the Pacific Storm Eastern Region Soccer League Rules and Regulations, in the event that a club fails to continue participating in the league for any reason, opposing teams will be awarded points on a 3-0 scoreline, provided that 50 percent of the games have been played,” reads part of the notice.
The league added that since JM Busha FC had not reached this milestone, the league will instead deduct points and goals from the teams that have played against it.
In an interview with Post Sport, the league’s chairman, Simba Wisdom, revealed that the club had cited the financial burden of hosting home matches 50km away in Marondera as the reason for their withdrawal.
Wisdom noted that the league will not seek a replacement at this stage.
“JM Busha 54 submitted a letter indicating their inability to continue participating in the Eastern Region Soccer League. They stated that they were unable to find a suitable stadium in Murehwa, which is their base, and were therefore hosting their home matches at Rudhaka Stadium in Marondera, which proved financially unsustainable.
“We would have preferred to find a replacement, but our statutes dictate that a team automatically forfeits its place in the league upon failing to fulfil three consecutive matches. Consequently, all JM Busha 54’s games were nullified,” he said.
The expulsion of JM Busha 54 reduces the number of teams in the league to 15.
Online Reporter