adminLovemore Zigara in Gweru
THE Zifa Central Soccer League will revert to an 18-team league in the 2017 season.
Since its inception in 2010, the CSL had been made up of 16 teams, but this changed last season when the region decided to expand the league by inviting two other clubs.
This, however, didn’t work out as NM Academy and Habane Sharks from Esigodini pulled out citing financial viability problems.
CSL chairman Stanley Chapeta confirmed the proposed expansion of the 2017 CSL and also indicated that the league season will kick-off in the first weekend of April.
“We agreed during our annual general meeting that we are going to have an 18-team league. With Border Strikers back and the Division Two league promoting four teams, it therefore means we have 17 teams at the moment,” said Chapeta.
“We are, therefore, going to promote a third team from Matabeleland South to replace ZRP Beitbridge, which was expelled at the same meeting. However, clubs that are not in good standing with the league will not be allowed to affiliate until they clear their arrears.”
On the CSL sponsorship that was the heartbeat of his campaign for the region’s top post at the beginning of last year, Chapeta said they were “tying loose ends” to the deal, which he said should be signed in the next two weeks.
“We received the contract from the potential sponsor, which I cannot name for confidential reasons and we have taken the document to our lawyers, who are scrutinising it. Once that is done we will be unveiling the sponsorship deal,” he said.
Chapeta had promised that the potential sponsors would sign the deal by July 2016, but brought up the “tying loose ends” mantra when July came and passed.
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derick.khumalo