Online Reporter
Lovemore Dube, [email protected]
OCHARD Dube, the president of third-placed Zifa Southern Region League side Jordan FC, says the family was encouraged to be involved in the game because of their eldest son’s passion for the game.
“We used to follow the game of football as our passion. It was not so serious, but when we realised that our son Sizalobuhle Crispen Dube has a passion for the game, we decided to upscale our involvement in the game,” said Dube.
He said the holding company, Mvelase Investments, resolved to throw resources into the game they love.
“We love football and we want to contribute to community development because soccer brings people together,” said Dube.
Sizalobuhle advanced the family cause by thrusting the team into the final 32 teams for the inaugural Munhumutapa Challenge Cup with a goal in the clash with Destiny Stars, which they won 1-0 at White City last weekend.
With the goal, Jordan became part of the 14 teams from the lower-division leagues to join the 18 Premiership sides in the first round of the main draw of the Munhumutapa Challenge Cup, which is now the tournament which qualifies Zimbabwe’s representatives into the CAF Confederations Cup.
Dube said their dream is to take ‘big’ league football to Filabusi and will not be carried away by their third place on the Pacific Breeze League.
“Honestly, some day we would love to bring Premiership football to Filabusi, but we have a tall figure in that we do not have a good facility. It was painful for our loyal supporters to have the team play its Munhumutapa Challenge Cup match in Bulawayo instead of our home ground in Filabusi,” said Dube.
He said while options for the day when they get promoted include Bulawayo, Gwanda and Bulawayo stadia, it would not be fair for the development of the game to rob youths and the community of their hard-earned privilege of watching the team in the Premiership.
Dube said they are in negotiations with other stakeholders who include a farmer in the district to purchase a piece of land near Filabusi town where a stadium will be constructed.
Asked what had changed the fortunes of the club this season, Dube said after deciding to bring back Johannes Nhumwa after Jordan had fared badly in eight consecutive games last season, things had changed for the better.
“He won a number of games last season and this year we are a better team with him. We had a good pre-season in which we took the team to camp in Zvishavane for two weeks and brought in two key players, Simplicio Chigada, a right-back from Harare and Tawanda Jimu from Chicken Inn.
Another key aspect Dube said was sticking to contractual agreements with coaches and players.
“One key aspect for our good run has been that we have stuck to our side of the bargain by paying players’ salaries and bonuses as agreed. Players are employees with their own individual challenges at home that need money; once they have clear minds, they perform better,” said Dube, whose side just lost leftback Tatenda Mhike to Casmyn at the beginning of the season after he found a job there.
Jordan will face Hwange on Saturday at home.
Hwange lead the standings with another Filabusi side, Talen Vision in second place.
