Whawha to sell franchise

Lovemore Zigara Midlands Correspondent
CORRECTIONAL services side Whawha are set to sell their franchise to Flame Lily should they be promoted at the end of the season to the Premiership.
Flame Lily play in the Zifa Northern Region Division One League while Whawha are in the Central Soccer League. The Harare prison warders are believed to enjoy better funding and would have a better chance of surviving in the Premiership.
Whawha were boosted in the last transfer window with the arrival of several players from Harare to bolster their outfit.

The Midlanders lead the standings with 38 points, two clear of second placed MSU after 18 games.
Richard Muchongwe, a former Flame Lily executive member, was also recently roped into the Whawha executive where he is now vice chairman to Musa Ntonga.

Insiders said senior prisons and correctional services officials are in favour of Whawha selling its franchise to Flame Lily since the latter is in a better sound financial footing as it is being bankrolled by BancEasy, a local micro lending institution, which also bankrolls Premiership outfit Chapungu.

“If Flame Lily are not promoted on their own then it is possible that the franchise can be taken because Flame Lily are more financially stable. It may appear to be unfair but that is how it is.

“Even if they both get promoted Whawha will not play in the Premiership unless they get an independent sponsor because the prison services cannot afford to bankroll football due to the economic challenges,” said the insider stationed at prisons headquarters in Harare.

Flame Lily lie second behind Gunners in the World Navi Northern Region Division One league standings while Ntabazinduna another correctional services outfit is also in the running for honours in the Zifa Southern Region Division One.

However, Ntonga dismissed the rumours.
“It is not true. Those are just rumours being peddled by some people.

The fact of the matter is that Whawha is on top of the log standings and if we happen to get promoted we will play in the league for the good of the Gweru community.

“Let me hasten to say Flame Lily is on second position and Ntabazinduna another team owned by the Zimbabwe Prisons and Correctional Services is leading in the Southern Region and if any of those teams win promotion then they will play Premiership football just like us if we happen to get promoted,” she said.