Sports / Soccer
Under-fire Shabanie up for sale
22 Dec 2017 at 10:22hrs | Views
Under-fire Shabanie Mine chairman Elias Marufu has revealed that they are considering selling the Premiership football club franchise.
The Marufu-led executive recently came under the spotlight after the supporters' association called for their removal for leading the club into shambles, failing to lure sponsorship to meet the team's financial needs.
Finding a sponsor for the Chinda Boys is proving to be an uphill task considering the economic environment, but Marufu says his executive has been making frantic efforts to make Shabanie a reputable brand like before.
"We have tried everything to find sponsorship for the club, but it's not as easy as anyone would want it to be," he said. "Supporters should just be rallying behind the team and not be found dictating things about ownership of the asset. The club is still owned by the company so a position has to be reached soon.
"We are open to anyone wanting to buy the club and change its name and that is the direction we are taking at this stage. So after the annual general meeting, we are going to have a new direction best for the club."
The club struggled last season, as players went for months without salaries and winning bonuses, mostly relying on handouts from well-wishers and Farai Mupasiri's mother, who, on many occasions, bailed them out.
However, a player exodus looms at the cash-strapped outfit, as players look for greener pastures in the domestic league.
In the top-flight, Shabanie Mine are one of the poorest clubs, whose main stakeholders are former mine workers at the now-defunct Shabanie Mine.
They had a difficult season, where they were fighting relegation, which they managed to beat.
But after all that effort, Zvishavane could lose its biggest team in the top-flight if the club goes ahead and sells its franchise.
The Marufu-led executive recently came under the spotlight after the supporters' association called for their removal for leading the club into shambles, failing to lure sponsorship to meet the team's financial needs.
Finding a sponsor for the Chinda Boys is proving to be an uphill task considering the economic environment, but Marufu says his executive has been making frantic efforts to make Shabanie a reputable brand like before.
"We have tried everything to find sponsorship for the club, but it's not as easy as anyone would want it to be," he said. "Supporters should just be rallying behind the team and not be found dictating things about ownership of the asset. The club is still owned by the company so a position has to be reached soon.
"We are open to anyone wanting to buy the club and change its name and that is the direction we are taking at this stage. So after the annual general meeting, we are going to have a new direction best for the club."
The club struggled last season, as players went for months without salaries and winning bonuses, mostly relying on handouts from well-wishers and Farai Mupasiri's mother, who, on many occasions, bailed them out.
However, a player exodus looms at the cash-strapped outfit, as players look for greener pastures in the domestic league.
In the top-flight, Shabanie Mine are one of the poorest clubs, whose main stakeholders are former mine workers at the now-defunct Shabanie Mine.
They had a difficult season, where they were fighting relegation, which they managed to beat.
But after all that effort, Zvishavane could lose its biggest team in the top-flight if the club goes ahead and sells its franchise.
Source - NewsDay
