The ManicaPost
Ray Bande Senior Sports Reporter—
MUTARE City Rovers’ hopes of playing in the Premiership which were almost coming to fruition owing to the relegation promotion fiasco are almost next to nothing as several players are packing their belongings for greener pastures.
| The Premier Soccer League and Zifa promotion and relegation standoff is still pending at the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) in Switzerland, but it is almost reality that City Rovers will be playing Division One football for the 2017 season. |
Post Sport can reveal that young Kuda Gurure, whose star shone brightly albeit City Rovers being relegated that he missed by two votes to be named the 2016 Premiership rookie of the year is set to be official availed as a Chicken Inn player for the 2017 Castle Lager Premiership season.
Goal poacher, Agrippa Murimba, who scored some important goals for Mutare City Rovers last season is also reverting to Harare City together with Munyaradzi Sako and Bright Majamanda.
Goalkeeper, Philip Nhete is being linked to an unnamed Botswana top flight league side.
City Rovers spokesperson, Clayton Masekesa, confirmed that the five players had moved from Mutare City Rovers after their one-year contacts elapsed.
“Kuda Gurure, Agrippa Murimba, Philip Nhete, Munyaradzi Sako and Bright Majamanda had one-year contracts and they have indicated that they want to move.
“As a club we will not stand in the way of those who believe they have a better chance elsewhere,” said Masekesa.
Masekeksa said Mutare City Rovers would be holding trials in the city starting on Monday to begin what the team has dubbed The New Chapter.
Mutare City Rovers finished the season on 15th position on the 2016 PSL log standings.
“We know that the promotion and relegation issue is still pending.
“While we are still waiting for this impasse to be amicably resolved, we are going forward with the trials for new and old players.
“So we are inviting those interested in joining us to come forward and undergo trials.
“Whether we will play in the PSL or Division One, we want to keep the team in shape.
“All of our players are out of contract, so we are starting afresh. We are holding these trials on time so that coaches come up with combinations and players will gel in well in time,” he said.
The team, also famously referred to as Gusha Bhora in soccer circles had a disastrous beginning last season as it signed old horses that failed to steer the team from relegation.
The then head coach, Kenny Kachara, discarded almost all the players that had led the team to promotion, preferring aged players with big names that failed to live up to expectations.
Taku Shariwa then took the reigns from Kachara during the mid-season and the team started to show some improvements as he introduced young players.
However, it was too late for Shariwa to rescue the team from the murky waters of relegation.
“The past season was a learning process, but, we now have experience on how football is managed professionally.
“We do not want to repeat the same mistakes that saw us being relegated,” said Masekesa.
Administrative boobs that saw the team being docked three points for using an ineligible player – Gurure – who had accumulated three yellow cards also impacted heavily on the team.
Had the team not have been docked three points it would have survived relegation.
Masekesa said some of the players also face the blame.
“There were so many matches that we should have won, but, it was surprising that we ended up losing and drawing important matches and it back fired to us.
“Maybe it was sabotage from the so-called old horses to score personal agendas or maybe we lost those matches genuinely.
“Football needs committed people with hunger for success.
“Football is all about passion. People may want to talk of players’ poor, but let me put the record straight.
“We were one of the best paying teams in the PSL. The maximum paid player got $350 as monthly salary.
“Then the least paid got $150. On top of that, they got $60 each as winning bonus, $30 each for a draw and $10 each for a loss.
“There were so many teams that never paid its players, but Mutare City Rovers managed to pay the players all the money,” explained Masekesa.
However, some soccer pundits have also blamed the executive for failing to execute their duties and marketing the team.
“From an outside pint of view, some people might see running a professional PSL team as easy.
“I am not trying to defend the executive, but these guys did a very good job in sustaining the team.
Agrippa Murimba
“We appealed to almost all companies, organisations and individuals for funding, but it was to no avail.
“Mutare City Rovers is a team for the people of Mutare,” he said.
He said the team was now on a new chapter and called on supporters and stakeholders to be patient and believe in the team.
“As a team we accept criticism and we believe that there is constructive criticism that will help the coaches and executive to make necessary amendments during this new season,” said the City Rovers spokesperson.
“We have learnt something. We anticipate that we will quickly adjust and make rapid and necessary improvements so that we begin this Gusha Bhora project on a new chapter. What is now needed is to work together as people of Mutare in order to have a one team that will satisfy all our football needs,” he said.
“I would like to thank all loyal fans who were behind us through and through.
“We appreciate sponsors and stakeholders for their support, we hope to maintain the good football relationship on this new chapter,” Masekesa said.
