Bantu Rovers poaching Bosso junior players

BANTU Rovers could be headed for a collision with Highlanders after allegations that Tshintsha Guluva is poaching promising junior soccer players from the Bulawayo giants.

Highlanders, once a powerhouse for junior development, are concerned about the continued loss of their promising junior players to clubs in the city.

Bosso have in the past been known to promote their juniors into the first team with most stars that have come out from Bulawayo having passed through the institution.

On Sunday, during the Special General Meeting held at the Highlanders' clubhouse, Dingani Sibanda said as members they were disturbed by the future of the club as there was no continuity at junior level.

"I think we should be worried that there is no continuity at junior level because every year we continue losing players to other teams. One will expect to see those that were playing in the Under-16s graduating to Under-18s but that is not the case because some clubs in the city are poaching our juniors.

"As we speak now, we have one promising player Lucky Ndlela who has been part of the junior setup is training at Bantu Rovers at a time we thought he would be graduating to the first team.

"There is also our juniors' goalkeeper at Bantu Rovers and another player (only identified as Dabuka) is at Ajax Hotspurs. I challenge the executive to make follow-ups and find out how these clubs are luring our players," said Sibanda.

Sibanda, who had at the beginning of the year wanted to vie for the committee member's position, alleged that some former Bosso juniors' coaches were responsible for poaching players from Highlanders.

This is not the first time that Highlanders have lost players to Bantu Rovers as the likes of national Under-20 players Kelvin Moyo, Kudakwashe Mahachi, Edwin Nkomo, Elvis Moyo and Moodley Njeleza crossed the floor to Tshintsha Guluva.

Highlanders chairman Peter Dube said they were trying to get back the players as they were engaging the clubs that were with them.

"That issue of losing players is topical in our executive meetings and we are disturbed by the way these boys are enticed.

"We hear stories that the teams that go for these players take groceries to the parents and at the end of the day because the rules say the parents are the ones who decide the fate of these youngsters, we lose them ngamagroceries.

"Sometimes the parents are shown air tickets from previous trips and in such instances they give those clubs the players.

"However, we are following on those players but we are not sure if we are going to get them back or not but be assured that we are working on that," said Dube.

Bantu Rovers' spokesman Wilbert Sibanda confirmed that Ndlela was trying his luck at his club.

"The player you are talking about and another one called Sawu have shown interest in joining us and once they impress our coaches we will engage their clubs. We don't poach players but those who are keen to be part of us most of the times we speak to their clubs," said Sibanda.

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