Southern Region Soccer League start moved forward

Ricky Zililo Senior Sports Reporter
MOST Southern Region Division One Soccer League teams are having trouble mustering the electronic registration of their players through the Transfer Matching System.This has forced administrators to move the kick off date of the competition by two weeks.

Initially, the Southern Region Soccer League was due to kick off on March 21 but will now start on April 4.

“Some of our clubs are finding it difficult to use the registration discs acquired from head office which are meant to centralise registration. Due to the development, we are now starting our programme on April 4,” said Jabulani Chinyangarara, Zifa Southern region board member responsible for fixtures.

Hwange FC administrator Khumbulani Mbano has been asked to mentor Southern Region Soccer League teams from Matabeleland North Province on the system. These are Hwange Juniors, Technosphere, ZPC Hwange, Mpumalanga United, Makomo FC, Amagagasi and Trumus.

Chinyangarara said technophobic Bulawayo clubs should seek assistance from their regional office in the city.

Zifa acquired the TMS from Fifa in December 2011 with the multi-purpose central data processing system meant to centralise player registration.

The national motherbody forked out $80,000 for the gadget which will among other options help in dictating irregular player registrations and transfers as all Zifa affiliates — provinces, regions and the Premiership — will be required to enter their players’ data into the football mother body system.

The PSL clubs were the first to use the TMS in 2012 and now its the Southern Region Soccer League’s turn.

Meanwhile, the move to postpone the start of the season has been met with mixed feelings by coaches.

Championship favourites Bulawayo City’s gaffer Philani “Beefy” Ncube said:

“We’re ready for anything and we will do our best to effectively compete with the perennial campaigners. We’re just three months old in Division One and we hope people won’t expect too much from us and will let us enjoy our football. We’ll wait for April 4 to start our games even though we haven’t received official communication about that development.”

What has made Bulawayo City become regarded as pre-season favourites are the seasoned players that they acquired who include goalkeeper Ndodana Sibanda, Zibusiso Sibanda, Innocent “Joker” Kutsanzira, Makhosi Ncube and speed merchants Mkhululi Moyo and Qinani Sibanda.

Former Premiership side Bantu Rovers said they would only comment about the change of date when they have been formally notified.

Tshintsha Guluva general-manager Wilbert Sibanda said they haven’t had challenges with TMS as they are familiar with the programme which they used when they were in the Premiership last season.

Ex-champions Bulawayo Chiefs and Victoria Falls based Trumus said they would be forced to change their training programmes.

“It’s a blow because mentally the boys were ready for the season kick off and now we just have to go back and revise our training programme. There is nothing that we can do except to make sure that our plans are on track,” said Bulawayo Chiefs coach Thulani Sibanda.

Trumus coach Ndoga Nyoni said they had wrapped up their pre-season training matches with friendly matches against Mkhosana and Classic Luyando whom they beat 2-0 and 4-0 respectively.

“We were done with the final squad and it was all systems go for us. We just have to wait for April 4,” Nyoni said.

Black Boots coach Kudzai Mutuda, whose team lost the title to Tsholotsho FC in the last stages of last season, said: “I don’t have a problem with postponing the kick off date. Actually even if they were to say let the games begin today we would have gone to the field because we have prepared well. What is left for us is to play soccer and get points.”
Fixtures

Week 1: Bulawayo City v Indlovu Iyanyathela (Luveve), Bulawayo Chiefs v Casmyn FC (Raylton), Bantu Rovers v ZPC Hwange (Hartsfield), Amagagasi v Trumus (Victoria Falls), Ntabazinduna v Quelaton (Ntabazinduna), New West v Hwange Juniors (White City), Mpumalanga United v Black Boots (Hwange), Technosphere v Makomo (Hwange)
Week 2: Trumus v Technosphere (Hwange), Indlovu Iyanyathela v Ntabazinduna (HQ One Brigade), Quelaton v New West (Nust), Casmyn FC v Mpumalanga United (to be advised), Black Boots v Bantu Rovers (Fairbridge), Hwange Juniors v Bulawayo Chiefs (Hwange), Makomo v Bulawayo City (Hwange), ZPC Hwange v Amagagasi (Hwange)
Week 3: Bantu Rovers v Casmyn FC (Hartsfield), Amagagasi v Black Boots (Victoria Falls), Technosphere v ZPC Hwange (Hwange), Bulawayo City v Trumus (Luveve), Ntabazinduna v Makomo (Ntabazinduna), New West v Indlovu Iyanyathela (White City), Bulawayo Chiefs v Quelaton (Raylton), Mpumalanga United v Hwange Juniors (Hwange)
Week 4: Casmyn FC v Amagagasi (to be advised), Black Boots v Technosphere (Fairbridge), ZPC Hwange v Bulawayo City (Hwange), Makomo v New West (Hwange), Indlovu Iyanyathela v Bulawayo Chiefs (HQ One Brigade), Quelaton v Mpumalanga United (Nust), Hwange Juniors v Bantu Rovers (Hwange), Trumus v Ntabazinduna (Victoria Falls)
Week 5: New West v Trumus (White City), Mpumalanga United v Indlovu Iyanyathela (Hwange), Bantu Rovers v Quelaton (Hartsfield), Amagagasi v Hwange Juniors (Victoria Falls), Technosphere v Casmyn FC (Hwange), Bulawayo City v Black Boots (Luveve), Ntabazinduna v ZPC Hwange (Ntabazinduna), Bulawayo Chiefs v Makomo (Raylton).