Ngezi defiant as player exodus continues

LAST season's Premier Soccer League runners-up Ngezi Platinum reckon that everything is under control despite losing a number of high-profile players in this transfer window with more looking to exit the club during this season break.

Ngezi Platinum are smarting from the anti-climax of a season that promised so much at the beginning as they looked on course for their maiden league title halfway through the season.

But the 2016 Chibuku Super Cup champions' campaign came off the rails in the second half of the season, and cost former coach Tonderai Ndiraya his job as the team finished second, 13 point behind champions FC Platinum.

Things seem to be falling apart for the ambitious outfit as they have lost a number of key players such as Walter Mukanga, Clive Augusto and lately Godknows Murwira.

Other players such as Donovan Bernard, Donald Teguru, Tichaona Chipunza, Tichaona Mabvura and others are on their way out, fuelling speculation that the club will struggle to challenge for honours this season.

"Of course, there are a lot of people out there who do not like us and are bound to say negative things about us. But I want you to know that we have everything under control as a club and remain as ambitious as we have always been," club secretary-general Cloete Munjoma said.

"We still have all the players that we want and those players who have left it's just because we do not want them anymore. Right now, I am working on the players that we want to achieve our targets this season," Munjoma added.

Ngezi are frantic ally trying to hold on to the players they need for the upcoming season with new Dutch coach Erol Akbay set to fly into the country for the pre-season training this week.

The bulk of Ngezi Platinum players were unhappy with the sacking of Ndiraya at a crucial stage of the league race last season, thus the mass exodus.

In the absence of the new coach Ngezi have largely kept their pre-season dealings under wraps early in the transfer window.

However, it is understood that Ngezi Platinum, one of the clubs with strong financial muscle in the local league, are preparing a handsome war chest for Akbay.

The club is looking to dominate the market in the next couple of weeks as they seek to finally land the league title four year after they joined top-flight league.