Sports / Soccer
'Hands off Hippo Valley franchise,' says Zifa Eastern Region
12 Dec 2013 at 10:25hrs | Views
THE Zifa Eastern Region administration will not sit and watch the Hippo Valley Premiership franchise being sold to places beyond the region, its chairman has said.
Tongaat Hulett, owners of the recently promoted club, announced that they will not be bankrolling the team because they are already sponsoring Triangle FC, who is also playing in the elite league.
The company management said with a budget of $580 000 per annum needed to sponsor one team, having two would be stretching their resources rather too much.
"We are going to issue a Press statement on the issue. We have since written to the PSL and Zifa with regards to the same issue indicating that we cannot sponsor two clubs in the top-flight league. Its very expensive. In any case, the drive initially was to sponsor football from a social perspective.
"The company is experiencing financial difficulties that cannot allow us to go ahead and have another team in the Premiership.
"This development would be sad for the Chiredzi community, but there is little, if anything, we can do about it. It is also sad that the Hippo Valley Football Club leadership has also failed to source sponsorship from elsewhere, thus the decision to disband the team," said Tongaat Hullet public relations manager Adelide Chikunguru-Musvovi.
However, after Hippo Valley threw in the towel and made it clear that they will not take part in the 2014 Premiership season, the fate of their Premiership franchise has become a subject of intense debate and speculation.
Several clubs and businessmen mainly from the capital have reportedly made enquiries with the aim of purchasing the franchise.
On the other hand, The Chronicle reported that the cash-strapped national association wanted to seize the opportunity and call for national play-offs that would see runners-up from the four Division One leagues fighting for the last slot to the elite league.
However, in an interview Zifa Eastern Region chairman Fungai Chihuri, said his administration would not remain aloof if the idea to sell the Hippo Valley Premiership franchise to places beyond the region is mooted.
Chihuri said they would finalise on the issue as the Zifa Eastern Region board on Saturday in Chiredzi just before the annual Sylvia Dube Memorial finals to be played at Hippo Valley's Chishamiso home ground.
"This is an issue that we will deliberate on as the Zifa Eastern Region board and Hippo Valley officials.
"As it stands right now, Hippo Valley are still within our jurisdiction. After all, they have not yet affiliated with the Premier Soccer League.
"They (Hippo) actually informed us of their intentions to disband the team and we will decide on the way forward as a board.
"It should, however, be noted that we will not allow a situation whereby the franchise is sold to areas beyond our region. This will not be in the interest of football development in the Eastern Region.
"We just have to do what is right for both the region and the game of football," said the Zifa Eastern Region chairman who is now based in Harare after transferring from his Chiredzi base.
In a separate interview, Zifa Eastern Region administrator Tedious Machawira spoke with a heavy heart about how the Eastern Region has been shortchanged in the sale of franchises.
"It is sad that Hippo have decided to call it a day at a time they were supposed to be representing us well in the Premiership. It is just so sad.
"However, as we look forward, we will not allow the Eastern Region slot in the Premiership to be filled by a team from any other region apart from the Eastern Region.
"In the past, we have seen Eastern Lions selling their franchise to Bantu Rovers. What became of the franchise?
"Eagles did the same when they sold their franchise to Zimbabwe Saints, and again what became of the franchise?
"As a professional board with a passion for development for the game in the region, we will not stand and watch our Premiership slot being taken by other regions.
"People should get it right that this is about the Eastern Region and the development of football in this particular region.
"The only logical thing to do will be to promote the team that was second placed, which in this case is Mutare City Rovers," said Machawira.
In an interview from his Harare base on Tuesday morning, Premier Soccer League chief executive Kenny Ndebele, said whatever decision that would be made, must uphold the principles of sporting merit.
"The final decision lies with Zifa and we will implement whatever decision they will arrive at.
"However, as PSL we sincerely hope that the final decision will be in the interest of sporting merit as stipulated by Fifa laws of the game.
"Some possible scenarios would be that the team that finished third from bottom and subsequently got relegated from the 2013 PSL season, in this case Black Mambas, is given the greenlight to continue playing in the Premiership again.
"It can also be decided that play-offs between all the four teams that finished second in the four Division One leagues be held and the winner gets the ticket to join the Premier League.
"It also makes a lot of sense to have the team that finished second in the Eastern Region Division One League, in this case Mutare City Rovers, to take up Hippo's Premiership slot," said Ndebele.
However, it appears that Hippo Valley were always going to face some administrative club licensing challenges in joining the Premiership apart from the financial challenges that eventually got the better of the Chiredzi club.
Interestingly, the disbandment of Hippo comes hard on the heels of Saturday's PSL Board of Governors meeting where issues relating to club licensing were discussed at length.
This newspaper exclusively revealed in July that Hippo Valley might have done everything on the field of play to earn themselves the coveted promotion into the Premiership but their greatest undoing could be that they are owned by the same sponsor that owns another side in the
Premiership and sister outfit Triangle FC - Tongaat Hullet.
According to article L.03 (A) of the Fifa Club Licensing Regulations, which deals with ownership and control of club, it is clearly stated that it is
illegal for an individual or an entity that owns a club to hold or deal in the securities or shares of any other club participating in the same competition.
Tongaat Hulett, owners of the recently promoted club, announced that they will not be bankrolling the team because they are already sponsoring Triangle FC, who is also playing in the elite league.
The company management said with a budget of $580 000 per annum needed to sponsor one team, having two would be stretching their resources rather too much.
"We are going to issue a Press statement on the issue. We have since written to the PSL and Zifa with regards to the same issue indicating that we cannot sponsor two clubs in the top-flight league. Its very expensive. In any case, the drive initially was to sponsor football from a social perspective.
"The company is experiencing financial difficulties that cannot allow us to go ahead and have another team in the Premiership.
"This development would be sad for the Chiredzi community, but there is little, if anything, we can do about it. It is also sad that the Hippo Valley Football Club leadership has also failed to source sponsorship from elsewhere, thus the decision to disband the team," said Tongaat Hullet public relations manager Adelide Chikunguru-Musvovi.
However, after Hippo Valley threw in the towel and made it clear that they will not take part in the 2014 Premiership season, the fate of their Premiership franchise has become a subject of intense debate and speculation.
Several clubs and businessmen mainly from the capital have reportedly made enquiries with the aim of purchasing the franchise.
On the other hand, The Chronicle reported that the cash-strapped national association wanted to seize the opportunity and call for national play-offs that would see runners-up from the four Division One leagues fighting for the last slot to the elite league.
However, in an interview Zifa Eastern Region chairman Fungai Chihuri, said his administration would not remain aloof if the idea to sell the Hippo Valley Premiership franchise to places beyond the region is mooted.
Chihuri said they would finalise on the issue as the Zifa Eastern Region board on Saturday in Chiredzi just before the annual Sylvia Dube Memorial finals to be played at Hippo Valley's Chishamiso home ground.
"This is an issue that we will deliberate on as the Zifa Eastern Region board and Hippo Valley officials.
"As it stands right now, Hippo Valley are still within our jurisdiction. After all, they have not yet affiliated with the Premier Soccer League.
"They (Hippo) actually informed us of their intentions to disband the team and we will decide on the way forward as a board.
"It should, however, be noted that we will not allow a situation whereby the franchise is sold to areas beyond our region. This will not be in the interest of football development in the Eastern Region.
"We just have to do what is right for both the region and the game of football," said the Zifa Eastern Region chairman who is now based in Harare after transferring from his Chiredzi base.
In a separate interview, Zifa Eastern Region administrator Tedious Machawira spoke with a heavy heart about how the Eastern Region has been shortchanged in the sale of franchises.
"However, as we look forward, we will not allow the Eastern Region slot in the Premiership to be filled by a team from any other region apart from the Eastern Region.
"In the past, we have seen Eastern Lions selling their franchise to Bantu Rovers. What became of the franchise?
"Eagles did the same when they sold their franchise to Zimbabwe Saints, and again what became of the franchise?
"As a professional board with a passion for development for the game in the region, we will not stand and watch our Premiership slot being taken by other regions.
"People should get it right that this is about the Eastern Region and the development of football in this particular region.
"The only logical thing to do will be to promote the team that was second placed, which in this case is Mutare City Rovers," said Machawira.
In an interview from his Harare base on Tuesday morning, Premier Soccer League chief executive Kenny Ndebele, said whatever decision that would be made, must uphold the principles of sporting merit.
"The final decision lies with Zifa and we will implement whatever decision they will arrive at.
"However, as PSL we sincerely hope that the final decision will be in the interest of sporting merit as stipulated by Fifa laws of the game.
"Some possible scenarios would be that the team that finished third from bottom and subsequently got relegated from the 2013 PSL season, in this case Black Mambas, is given the greenlight to continue playing in the Premiership again.
"It can also be decided that play-offs between all the four teams that finished second in the four Division One leagues be held and the winner gets the ticket to join the Premier League.
"It also makes a lot of sense to have the team that finished second in the Eastern Region Division One League, in this case Mutare City Rovers, to take up Hippo's Premiership slot," said Ndebele.
However, it appears that Hippo Valley were always going to face some administrative club licensing challenges in joining the Premiership apart from the financial challenges that eventually got the better of the Chiredzi club.
Interestingly, the disbandment of Hippo comes hard on the heels of Saturday's PSL Board of Governors meeting where issues relating to club licensing were discussed at length.
This newspaper exclusively revealed in July that Hippo Valley might have done everything on the field of play to earn themselves the coveted promotion into the Premiership but their greatest undoing could be that they are owned by the same sponsor that owns another side in the
Premiership and sister outfit Triangle FC - Tongaat Hullet.
According to article L.03 (A) of the Fifa Club Licensing Regulations, which deals with ownership and control of club, it is clearly stated that it is
illegal for an individual or an entity that owns a club to hold or deal in the securities or shares of any other club participating in the same competition.
Source - manicapost
