Online Reporter
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
MANICA Diamonds have not paid sign on fees for its players from last year, including some who have since left the club, while the current players have gone for more than three months without getting their salaries, Post Sport can reveal.
Consequently, player morale is at its lowest ebb.
Investigations by this newspaper revealed that Manica Diamonds, which is yet to win a match this season or even score a goal after four rounds of league matches, last paid 50 percent of monthly salaries in December last year, while the January, February and March salaries are not yet paid.
Sign off fees from last year are still to be paid, and this includes sign on fees for players who left the club at the end of last season.
Manica Diamonds are owned by Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) and the club’s existence is a Corporate Social Responsibility for the company which operates in the Marange area of Mutare District.
Financial woes at Manica Diamonds could be a reflection of the parent company’s quagmire as employees have reportedly gone for nearly five months without receiving their salaries.
An internal source, speaking to the media on condition of anonymity, said workers have not been paid since October 2025, leaving many struggling to meet basic needs.
Manica Diamonds, which has no home ground of its own, is travelling away every week to play its Castle Lager Premiership matches, and is now shifting base to nearby GreenFuel Arena after starting the season at Gibbo Stadium in Triangle.
They will be hosting Chicken Inn on Easter Saturday at the GreenFuel Arena in Chisumbanje.
Coach, Tafadzwa Mashiri, continues to wear a brave face in spite of all these challenges.
“The match against Chicken Inn is a big and important fixture for us as a team as we are chasing for our first set of points. We had good preparations with an international break affording us a bit of more time to put our house in order.
“It won’t be an easy fixture, since we are facing one of the top teams in the league coached by a championship winning coach. We really need to have a strong start to the match and show intention from the onset. We are looking to have our breakthrough by getting a positive result,” said Mashiri.
Mashiri chose to be diplomatic and not to wash dirty linen in public when asked about player morale in camp.
Mashiri said: “Players are very much focused and are committed to the task at hand.”
The below par performance of Manica Diamonds appears to be a regional thing as Triangle United FC are also struggling with their game.
Triangle FC has parted ways with head coach, Thomas Ruzive, after just four games into the 2026 season due to poor results.
The Sugar Boys were struggling with a squad of 22 registered players, despite losing key performers like Witness Shave and Munashe Bamara.
Media reports indicated that Ruzive’s dismissal raises questions about the executive committee’s support for the coach, with some speculating they were reluctant to help him build a competitive team.
Former Caps United son, Lloyd Chitembwe, has been appointed as the new head coach, with Alexio Sirgio as his assistant.
Rumors are circulating about potential signings, including Jaden Bakari, Kelvin Mangizi and Jimmy Dzingai.
On fan interviewed queried: “Why now? Where are the slots coming from? The foreign players who have been training with the team were not registered with the PSL. No one could explain the delay to register the players to us.
“The big question is, was Ruzive set up to fail, or did he simply not have the resources to succeed? The executive committee’s decisions have left many wondering if they truly backed Ruzive or deliberately hindered his efforts?”
