Online Reporter
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
THE Pacific Storm Eastern Region Division One race for Premiership promotion is gaining momentum, and this weekend’s clash pitting GreenFuel and AMV, set for the GreenFuel Arena, is expected to be explosive as both teams are the bookmakers’ favourites to land the coveted accolade.
As the league enters Matchday Five, apart from the GreenFuel v AMV duel, blockbuster fixtures for this weekend will also see Tenax FC locking horns with Mutare City Rovers today (Friday) at Mutare Boys’ High School grounds, while Buffaloes will entertain Yadah FC at Chisamba Ground on Sunday.
Bikita Chida Athletic Club will face Manica Diamonds at the Lithium Stadium tomorrow (Saturday).
Masvingo United and Four Lions will battle it out in a local derby to be played at Mucheke Stadium in Masvingo tomorrow (Saturday).
Pacific Storm Eastern Region chairman, Wisdom Simba, expressed satisfaction at the progress of the league.
“The league so far, so good. We only received one complaint from FC Wangu requesting us to reverse a red card issued to one of their players, and we dismissed it, citing lack of evidence as the facts contained in match officials’ reports are presumed accurate unless proof of their inaccuracy has been provided.
“Above all, I am happy with the way business has been conducted so far. The level of competition is high as well. As for Bikita lodging a complaint, I am just hearing it from you; we have not received anything pertaining to that,” said Simba.
Be that as it may, newbies AMV have not made their Premiership promotion ambitions a secret.
Club chief executive, Nyasha Kadenge, fielding questions on a local football followers’ WhatsApp Group dubbed Winning Goal Promotions, said:
“The desire is to enter the PSL. We have recruited a competitive squad, competent technical team, support from the sponsor and our vibrant supporters’ chapters, which are rallying behind the team. “As a new team we expected an average start as the team gels and we expect to start doing well as the games progress.”
Kadenge spoke highly of the role of their supporters.
“To be very honest, we are blessed to have a sponsor that is doing well financially and it is helping the team. As we grow, sustainability is very critical to us as a team, hence the desire to create pathways for young players to more lucrative leagues. That is why our supporters’ chapters are important as they are critical to the club’s sustainability. Buying merchandise and paying for matches. The club is privately funded with community involvement. They are the 12th man, and we have community members in the team executive,” she said.
Asked about some cases of indiscipline within her team, where some players (names withheld) are behaving as if they are bigger than the institution, Kadenge said: “No one is untouchable. We are developing an environment that allows the team to do well and we will deal decisively with things that are contrary to the vision and mission of the club.”
She also spoke about community involvement in the project and the club has been making efforts to gel with the people around it, saying: “Community, as in involving the community into the team and having some board members from the community. We started doing coaching clinics during these holidays with the aim of establishing an academy locally. We have had two sessions so far and we aim to build on that on top of partnerships with different schools in the country.” She highlighted the club’s commitment to the development of football in Rusape. Our sponsor has various business interests in the Eastern Region and Rusape falls in the middle of the geographical spread. Plus, the fact that Rusape did not have a Division One team playing there, we felt there was a gap that we could fill in terms of community entertainment and engagement. There are plans to develop a stadium in Rusape that will meet the homologation standards to host PSL matches and international matches too. We have an academy partnership with Rusununguko that is developing talent which we aim to give exposure to players there by affording them the opportunity to play Division One, Division Two, Underr-17 team curtain raisers for the senior team.
“We have also managed to get into partnerships that will give the academy players international exposure. So our aim is to develop into a selling club that develops players for local, regional and international markets in the long term,” she said.
Asked about circumstances that led to the separation with coach, Shadreck Mugurasave and members of his technical team early this year, Kadenge chose to be diplomatic.
“I am not at liberty to divulge what led to that decision. I do, however, wish them well in their current endeavours. I see their progress in their new roles in other teams and they are doing quite well,” she said.
On issues to do with drug and substance abuse, Kadenge said: “We have a squad of 30. We have club houses where they stay with security on site to supervise. In addition to that, we will be doing random drug tests to check on that. We also have regular counselling sessions and we have a spiritual mentor who comes in occasionally to talk to the team.”
