The ManicaPost
Ray Bande Senior Sports Reporter
FORMER Castle Lager Premiership outfit, Mutare City Rovers, is teetering on the brink of collapse following recommendations by the local authority’s finance committee that club is unnecessary expenditure, Post Sport has learnt.
The finance committee’s recommendations if adopted by a full council meeting might render more than 20 players and members of the team’s technical department jobless.
The full council meeting which was supposed to deliberate on the issue among other key local authority issues last Thursday was deferred to this Thursday (yesterday).
Given that most teams have now finalised their team lists ahead of the 2017 season, the finance committee’s recommendations to disband the team, if it comes to fruition, might hit hard on players who kept training with the club hoping to sign contracts and may now fail to get any club, at least for the first half of the season before the July transfer window opens.
Mutare City Rovers chairman, Isdore Bingura, confirmed that a finance committee recommendation was made to the effect that the local authority must stop funding sporting activities.
“Yes, we were made to understand that there is a councillor who raised the issue, arguing that council must not fund sporting activities and that also includes football. However, the issue has to be discussed at a full council meeting for it to be a binding council resolution,” he said.
Bingura said everything was at a standstill and they were awaiting the outcome of the full council meeting to chat the way forward.
“Right now we are not sure which way to go. Things are at a standstill as we speak. Yes, training is going ahead just in case we are allowed to go ahead and play this season. The truth of the matter is that we are grounded.
“We can only know the way forward when the full council sits and deliberates on the issue. We were made to understand that the full council meeting failed to take place last Thursday and was deferred to this Thursday (yesterday),” said Bingura.
He said it would be a sad development if council decides to stop funding the team considering the time spent preparing for the upcoming season as well as the commitment shown by the players and coaches during the difficult period that they had to prepare for the season without financial resources at hand.
“It will be a sad development if council decides to stop funding the team considering the time spent preparing for the upcoming season as well as the commitment shown by the players and coaches during the difficult period that they had to prepare for the season without financial resources at hand.
“The boys were patient, but things were really tough as we had to go out of way to fund the preseason preparations from our personal resources as an executive and leadership of the club. I just hope at the end of the day, common sense will prevail and let these youngsters develop their talents,” he said.
Gusha Bhora, as Mutare City Rovers are fondly referred to by their fans, were relegated from the country’s top-flight league at the end of last season after spending just one year in the elite league.
The team, which is now under the tutelage of Masimba Dinyero is set to take part in the Eastern Region Division One League this year in a quest to make a quick return to the Premiership.
However, their hopes of making a quick return to the top-flight league now hinge on the outcome of the full council meeting.
