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Ray Bande in MUTARE
EASTERN Region Division One side Tenax FC are not happy with the boardroom decision to promote Bikita Minerals into the Premiership after the correctional services side had seemingly won the championship on the final day.
Tenax have since reached out to the ZIFA Normalisation Committee as well as the Sports and Recreation Committee for possible intervention.
Tenax had finished a point above Bikita Minerals after winning their final game 6-1 at home while the lithium miners had been held to a 1-1 draw at Grayham.
However, Bikita Minerals were later promoted into the Castle Lager Premiership via a boardroom decision that awarded them maximum points from their final match of the season on the basis that Grayham had used an ineligible player.
Tenax chairman Stefani Masina said:
“We are of the opinion that this was a pre-planned thing meant to disadvantage us. We have reached out to the SRC as well as the (ZIFA) Normalisation Committee for assistance on the matter.
“To us it is clear that the parties involved connived to snatch Premiership promotion from us.
“There a number of irregularities that we raised in our letter of complaint.
“In fact, we were surprised to learn from the media when the ESRL leader, Davison Muchena, urged clubs to acquaint themselves with laws of the game when the same league is presiding over a breach of the same laws.
“We just want football to be the winner.”
In their letter of complaint, one of the major concerns Tenax raised relates to why the match between Bikita Minerals and Grayham was allowed to proceed after one of the clubs had complained about the use of an illegible player.
To support their argument, Tenax cited an incident sometime in July when they complained about the intended use of two ineligible players by Renco Mine FC.
Consultations were instantly made over the phone with ERSL officials, who quickly checked with the ZIFA player data base and the two players were barred from participating.
Online Reporter