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Lovemore Zigara in Gweru
THE Zifa Central Soccer League (CSL) on Saturday held a player registration workshop using Fifa’s Connect system.

Sixteen of the 18 clubs attended the workshop conducted by Zifa transfer matching system officer Timothy Mazhindu, FC Platinum secretary Benson Wirimai, CSL administrators Gift Nyapomwe and Violet Jubane.

Fifa Connect seeks to eliminate issues of double player registration, curb age cheating, enable online player transfers and reduce the hassles of clubs travelling to complete player registration.

CSL chairman Stanley Chapeta welcomed the development and said he hoped this would help reduce player status disputes that have plagued local football.

“As a region we welcome the new registration system as it will go a long way in curbing player disputes and other vices which have rocked the game in the past. It is our fervent hope that this would enhance professionalism in the game,” said Chapeta.

He said as a result of these developments, the start of the league, which had been slated for the weekend of March 25-26, had been pushed back to mid-April to enable a smooth transition of the new registration system.

“We wanted to begin the new season on the last weekend of March, but we have had to push the dates back to the weekend of 15-16 April so that we allow for the smooth transition to Fifa Connect, whose deadline is at the end of the month.

“We are happy as a region that our clubs have paid their affiliation fees and as a region it’s all systems go. We are now waiting for our revised date to kick off the league otherwise everything is now in place,” he said.

CSL’s marketing and corporate affairs board member Pithias Shoko took the clubs through the new licensing system.

Also in attendance was the league’s board member for finance Thomas Marambanyika, who announced that the CSL had made great strides in clearing its debts with service providers.

He said audited financial results would  soon be presented to clubs for adoption.

@lavuzigara1