adminSikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
ZIFA Southern Region Division One side Tsholotsho Football Club have allayed fears that they are shifting base from Tsholotsho Business Centre to Bulawayo. However, the club might play some of their home games this season in Bulawayo. The move is yet to be finalised.Fears of the Lizwe Sweswe-coached side shifting base were heightened by the club’s decision to set base for their pre-season training in Bulawayo where they have been for the past two weeks.
“Our supporters should not fear anything; we will be in Tsholotsho although we are still in discussion over the possibility of some of our home games being played in Bulawayo.
“We only set a training base in Bulawayo because it is central since we have a large pool of players from various places across the country trying their luck with us,” said Tsholotsho Pirates chairman Mlamuli Phiri yesterday.
He described their pre-season training so far as good with all the players eager to impress Sweswe and his lieutenants.
The chairman said their camp will be in Bulawayo until March when the season is expected to kick off.
Said Phiri; “We also want the boys to get used to playing on a proper surface with turf so that it will not feel strange to them when they face teams with good pitches in the league.”
Meanwhile, Tsholotsho will this week formally submit their request to the Players’ Status Committee to look into their wrangle with Premiership side Triangle over Pasca Manhanga.
Phiri said their secretary is working on the document and it should be submitted to Zifa before the end of the week.
The club has already committed itself to paying the $2 000 appeal fee.
Tsholotsho and Triangle are involved in a fierce fight over the diminutive national team player with Tsholotsho arguing that they never cleared the player to turn out for Triangle.
Manhanga had a running contract with the Division One side that ran up to December 31 last year but Triangle are insisting that the boy was cleared by Mutare United, a team that disbanded long back.
If Tsholotsho manage to prove their case, Triangle risk being docked points on all games that Manhanga played in and that could see the Lowveld side being relegated from the league.
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