PSL speak on Sheasham, Chapungu

Grace Chingoma Senior Sports Reporter
The ZIFA Central Region are vigorously lobbying for last year’s runners-up Sheasham to replace Whahwha in the Castle Lager Premiership.

But, their efforts are likely to hit a brick wall after the league’s leaders made it clear they were not following that route.

Whawha, who got the promotion ticket after winning the Central Region Division One last year, were expelled from the Premiership before the league even started.

The club failed to settle their affiliation fees.

Mutare side Tenax also failed to meet the deadline to settle their affiliation dues and are facing the same fate.

Both teams are owned by the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services.

The resolutions at the PSL annual meeting held this month clearly spelt out that, should any of the newboys fail to pay affiliation fees, they will be booted out and the league programme continues with 16 teams.

PSL said they would release the fixtures as long as they remained with an even number.

However, there is still a possibility the league, through the board of governors, might consider teams which were relegated last year.

This gives a lifeline to the likes of Chapungu, TelOne, Mushowani and Hwange.

And the ZIFA Central Region, which promoted Whawha after they pipped Sheasham to the league title on the final day of the season, are now lobbying to have the runners-up take up the slot.

Regional chairman, Stanley Chapeta, has since written to ZIFA telling them that they should consider Sheasham.

Chapeta feels it is the mandate of the ZIFA Assembly to promote teams into the PSL.

But, yesterday, Premier Soccer League chief executive Kenny Ndebele, made it clear that, as the secretariat they were following the board’s resolutions which were made at the annual indaba on March 6.

The expulsion of the two clubs has generated a lot of interest from their parent regions.

Last week, the ZIFA Eastern Region were also singing in Tenax’s corner.

“The board of governors at the AGM resolved to give the clubs until March 13 to pay, failure of which they will not be admitted into the Premiership,’’ said Ndebele.

“The board made another resolution that, in the event that the clubs failed to pay, they will consider them relegated.

“But, in the event that a team should be considered to replace them, it will be Chapungu, TelOne, Mushowani and Hwange.

‘‘But, it is the decision of the board to do so or to stick with 16 teams when the league resumes.

“Any team that comes into the league, it is coming on the rules set by the governors of the board.

“I do administration and don’t promote clubs so if Tenax paid their affiliation there is nothing we can do as the administration since this requires the board.

“My instruction is to refund all the money which was paid and I am yet to receive communication from Tenax to that effect that they paid, after the deadline, the remaining affiliation fees.’’

Moses Chunga and Rahman Gumbo could bounce back into the top-flight league this season should the board finally resolve to co-opt teams and have the standard 18 teams in the league.

Chunga was appointed the Chapungu gaffer last month with a mandate to rebuild the Gweru airmen, who relegated from the Premiership, at the end of the 2019 season.

Former Warriors coach Gumbo chose to stay at TelOne, despite their relegation into Division One.

There had been indications Chapungu could have been thrust back into the elite league, if Herentals had been demoted via a PSL Disciplinary Committee ruling that had docked them three points for alleged match-fixing.

Herentals, however, won their appeal at the ZIFA Appeals board and retained their PSL slot.