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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
ZIFA Southern Region is racing against time to get a team that will take up Technosphere’s slot in the Southern Division One League following the Hwange-based team’s collapse.

Technosphere’s withdrawal has left the Southern Region Division One League with 15 teams, with just under a fortnight before the 2017 season kicks off.

The club’s collapse comes a week after Technosphere Energy Services’ director Ozias Taruvinga was co-opted into the Hwange FC board.

Musa Mandaza, Zifa Southern Region chairman, yesterday confirmed Technosphere’s withdrawal from the league and said they had asked the feeder provinces, Zifa Matabeleland North and Bulawayo Metropolitan Division Two leagues, to second a team that will take the vacant slot.

He said Technosphere’s collapse has also caused a delay in the release of fixtures.

“Technosphere are no longer part of us. They threw in the towel last week citing financial challenges. As it is, we’ve written to Zifa Matabeleland North and Bulawayo provinces to second clubs interested in the vacant franchise. If there are no takers by end of business day tomorrow (today), we will be left with no option but to release fixtures with 15 teams. Hopefully we will find a replacement, but it has to be a team that is coming to give other clubs competition instead of just making up numbers,” said Mandaza.

He revealed that Technosphere owed the region “substantial amounts”, part of which includes some outstanding affiliation fees before referring questions to Bryton Malandule, the Zifa Southern Region board member for finance.

“They (Technosphere) owe the region a lot of money, but I’m not at liberty to tell the media how much they owe,” Malandule said.

Technosphere finished the 2016 season in ninth position.

@ZililoR