No holiday for Chicken Inn

Ricky Zililo Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE football champions Chicken Inn will have a busy Christmas holiday with the club chasing after players that they want to register for the Caf Champions League before the December 31 deadline.

The Gamecocks will face South Africa’s Mamelodi Sundowns in the preliminary round of the continental competition which kicks off in February.

They will start their campaign at home on the weekend of February 12-14, 2016, with the return leg set for the weekend of February 26-28.

Lifa Ncube, the Gamecocks’ chairman, said they were working hard to get the players that they want and hopes to conclude deals by Monday.

“We’re working round the clock to wrap up our signings. Our aim is to send our registration forms on Monday and if you get hold of me by then I’ll let you know which players we would’ve signed. We had a strong squad and we’re making a few additions, maybe four to five players. We need a defender, someone to play in the right wing of the midfield and a striker,” said Ncube.

There were reports that Chicken Inn were targeting a number of Soccer Star of the Year finalists.

Some of the players that are rumoured to be in their coach Joey Antipas’ wish list include Dynamos leftback Ocean Mushure as well as Caps United defender Stephen Makatuka.

Mushure’s absence from the national team camp last week further fuelled rumours that the defender was wrapping his deal with the ambitious Bulawayo side.

Also said to being considered are Triangle’s Hillary Bakacheza and Bantu Rovers’ Obidiah Tarumbwa who was on loan at Highlanders.

Bakacheza, 25, scored eight goals, leading the Lowveld side to a fourth-place finish on the log table and made it on the Soccer Stars of the Year calendar.

Tarumbwa was a vital cog in Highlanders’ campaign and it is not clear whether the Gamecocks will be able to snatch the player right under Highlanders’ nose. Bosso have been given first preference to have the services of Tarumbwa alongside Nqobizitha Masuku and Teenage Hadebe who were on loan from Bantu Rovers.

Meanwhile, Zifa will on Monday hold a Club Licensing workshop for Chicken Inn meant to educate the Gamecocks on the Caf Champions League registration process.