adminTHE 2017 season was among the most difficult campaigns for Zifa Southern Region teams as less than half of the clubs were able to pay affiliation fees and other operational costs, an official has said.
The league finished with 14 teams, down by two when the season came to an end last month.
Bryton Malandule, the leaguea��s board member finance, said 30 percent of teams managed to settle their affiliation fees for the year under review, in addition to paying refereesa�� fees and hiring stadia for their home matches.
a�?It was a very difficult year as teams struggled to meet their financial obligations to the league so if we had taken a decision to be strict with defaulting clubs then the league would have finished with even fewer teams,a�? said Malandule.
The league instead settled for a a�?let football be played approacha�? as compared to a heavy handed approach on defaulters.
a�?We understand that institutions, companies and even football teams are operating under very difficult economic conditions so we decided to be lenient so that at the end of the day football can be played and we dona��t lose our mandate as a league,a�? he said.
Affiliation fees are pegged at $2 500 for a team and the league had given clubs an option to pay half in the first stanza of the 2017 season and settle the balance around August.
In addition to affiliation fees clubs have to pay refereesa�� fees and book a stadium for a home match.
Division One football in Zimbabwe is a semi-professional league that pays its players monthly salaries and winning bonuses.
The salaries and winning bonuses are, of course, not substantial compared to the Premier Soccer League.
Depending on the financial muscle of a club, some also pay camping fees.
Online Reporter