Raymond Jaravaza
THE length and breadth of the area that Zifa Southern Region teams travel throughout the season gobbles a huge chunk of clubs’ budgets, forcing some teams to pull out of the league mid-season, an official has said.
League board member for finance, Tizirai Luphahla, bemoaned the number of teams that either pulled out of the league altogether or failed to fulfil fixtures in the weeks leading to the end of the season, saying it compromised the integrity of the Zifa Southern Region league.
Indonsakusa FC and Quality Foods threw in the towel citing financial constraints.
Ajax Hotspurs and Zimbabwe Saints failed a couple of times to travel for out-of-town fixtures also citing cash flow problems from their sponsors. Some teams failed to pay match officials.
“It is difficult to ascertain the financial status of a club before the beginning of the season and we only find out that teams are struggling when we are half-way into the season.
“This year, most of our teams struggled to fulfil away fixtures; it’s important to note that our league covers Plumtree, Bulawayo, Inyathi, Binga, Victoria Falls, Filabusi and Hwange, making travelling for away matches very costly.
“Then there was the Covid-19 pandemic, which forced many sponsors to pull out of football leaving most of our teams in difficult positions. We hope that teams will be better prepared next year, so that we have an exciting and competitive league not characterised by teams pulling out of the league or failing to fulfil matches,” said Luphahla.
What’s in store for the league next season?
“The financial crunch did not only affect teams but the administration side of the league as well. We had big plans for this season, but we faced a lot of challenges, especially in terms of trying to rope in sponsors. Right now, we have been in talks with potential sponsors and partners for next season, but the negotiations are still at infancy stages and we are confident of a bigger and better Zifa Southern Region league next season,” he added.
Luphahla, however, believes that some clubs have themselves to blame for turning away sponsors and this is how he explained it.
“Some of the clubs have been found wanting in terms of discipline and the way they conduct their business, which scares away potential sponsors. Companies want to associate themselves with brands that appeal to the public and don’t court negative publicity.
“Most companies have adopted a ‘wait-and-see attitude’ when it comes to sponsoring football and it’s up to us football administrators and clubs to give a good account of ourselves and make the game more attractive once again,” he added.
