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The league, through the chief executive officer Kennedy Ndebele, had written to Quelaton demanding that they pay the affiliation and player registration fees before the Sunday match, failure to which the match would be awarded to Highlanders on a 3-0 scoreline as a walkover.
Besides the fees, the league had also demanded the $5 000 fine which was imposed on the club for fielding a player under suspension during their Motor Action match which they lost 0-3 at Luveve Stadium.
However the fine, according to the letter, had been reduced to $4 000, meaning Quelaton were now supposed to raise $11 000 between yesterday and tomorrow, broken down as $5 000 affiliation fees and $2 000 player registration fees.
“The PSL has asked me to make an undertaking, through a letter, that the money will be deducted from the gate takings at Barbourfields Stadium on Sunday,” said club director, Tawanda Ruzive.
He paid tribute to the league for understanding his plight and said it was football that had won, not Quelaton or him in person.
It is not clear though whether the league will also deduct the $5 000 or $4 000 being the money that Quelaton were fined as the club wrote an official appeal letter over the decision and a hearing is yet to be convened on the matter.
With the attendances at Highlanders’ matches increasing with every outing, Quelaton are likely going to realise huge figures, probably more than they received during their entire campaign in the Division One league and the 14 Premiership matches they have played so far.
Last week 13 601 fans paid to watch the Battle of the Cities in which Bosso beat Caps United 1-0 and supporters are keen to be part of the history making crowd who will probably witness Highlanders reach game number 14 without tasting defeat. With that in mind, Barbourfields Stadium will witness another bumper crowd.
The match is one of the six league games lined up for the weekend with another city team, Chicken Inn travelling to the capital this morning to clash with giant killers Harare City.
Chicken Inn are playing well of late and have collected an impressive 14 points from a possible 18.
They are yet to lose since their 2-1 loss to defending champions Dynamos in a game in which they finished with 10 men after skipper Herbert Dick was red carded.
Their technical team of Adam Ndlovu and Mandla Mpofu has remained modest about their championship hopes preferring to say they want to survive relegation.
Matabeleland North’s only representatives in the league, Hwange leave the coal mining town tomorrow headed for the capital where they will clash with Caps United, whose fans are now famous for not accepting defeat at home.
Chipangano are probably at their lowest ebb in terms of confidence and need to pick themselves up quite soon and start winning games. They have won just once in seven outings and for a team eyeing the league title, that is a very bad record by any standards.
Fixtures:
Tomorrow: Gunners v Shabanie Mine (Larfarge); Motor Action v Monomotapa (Motor Action Sports Club); Blue Rangers v Black Mambas (Gwanzura); Harare City v Chicken Inn (Rufaro)
Sunday: Hardbody v Buffaloes (Ascot); Caps United v Hwange (Gwanzura); Quelaton v Highlanders (Barbourfields)
Online Reporter