Yadah Stars begin training

Tadious Manyepo Sports Reporter
THERE is a new wave of optimism that Yadah Stars may yet be playing in the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League after all. This comes as the outfit, bankrolled by Prophetic Healing and Deliverance Ministries leader Prophet Walter Magaya, finally began their preparations for the 2018 season yesterday.

Their future had been left in limbo following indications that Prophet Magaya was cutting ties with Yadah Stars.

Yadah were among the early birds to prepare for their Premiership debut last year, but there has not been much of such enthusiasm ahead of the start of the 2018 term.

This also fuelled speculation that the team’s franchise could be sold to relegated Harare City.

But it seems order has been restored at the team, which showed a lot of ambition, having been promoted to the top-flight in 2016 and did well to survive relegation last season.

Although there is no concrete evidence on who will be bankrolling the outfit, it appears the respected prophet might have had a change of heart and made a U-turn on his earlier decision to cut links with the team.

Yadah chairman Everson Chatambudza yesterday told The Herald that the team will be part and parcel of the league in the 2018 season, which is set to begin on March 10. He, however, did not indicate whether Prophet Magaya will be sponsoring the team or not, saying there “are some issues which still need to be ironed out” before a position is reached.

Prophet Magaya might have also been persuaded by Yadah players, who met and pleaded with him to come back to the team two weeks ago, where senior players like Rodrick Mutuma are said to have told the prophet that they will hang their boots if he did decided against changing his stance.

“We concluded our meeting yesterday, and there will be Premiership football for the team.

“We haven’t reached a final decision yet, but the team has started training in preparation for this season, although one or two issues need to be ironed out,” he said.

Chatambudza said most of the players they had last season are still with the team, putting to rest some reports that some of their stars like Leeroy Mavhunga were on their way out.

Mavhunga and Dennis Dauda had been linked with a move to CAPS United while striker Mutuma was reported to be eyeing a move to Chicken Inn.

“We have all the players we need to play in the league.

“There is nothing official on players such as Leeroy (Mavhunga) or Dauda (Dennis), who were linked with CAPS.

“I would like to categorically say that we still have them. We still have our coach Thomas Ruzive and the team is preparing earnestly,” Chatambudza said.