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Rugare Dhobbie

Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
HWANGE Colliery Company Limited has allayed fears that it will abandon its flagship football entity in the event the club is relegated from the Premier Soccer League to the second tier league.

With five matches and 15 points to play for in the 2017 season, Hwange FC are deep in the relegation zone with 30 points, a rung above fellow relegation candidates Shabanie Mine, whom they meet in Zvishavane on Week 33.

Their road to survival begins this Sunday with a trip to in form Caps United at the National Sports Stadium before hosting inconsistent Highlanders. After the Bosso clash, Bigboy Mawiwi’s charges will host Harare City before rounding off their season with a trip to ZPC Kariba.

There has been increasing talk in the coal mining town that HCCL will wash its hands if the football team is relegated in similar fate that befell the once formidable Hwange Athletics Club.

Hwange FC have been going through a rough patch and survived relegation by a whisker last year, but lost a number of senior players over unpaid allowances and salaries.

However, HCCL has assured supporters that it won’t abandon the club, with or without Premiership status.

“Hwange FC will never walk alone; we are with the club through thick and thin and our supporters need to be assured of that commitment,” said Rugare Dhobbie, HCCL’s corporate affairs manager.

Chipangano’s woes were compounded by the company’s weak financial position that saw the giant coal miner abandoning a number of social responsibility programmes to concentrate on priority areas.

The company, however, seems to be making strides towards recovery.

HCCL managing director Thomas Makore painted an encouraging picture of the company’s state in his brief welcome remarks to guests and players at last week’s Hwange Golf Open.

HCCL chairman Winston Chitando also hinted a turnaround of the company’s fortunes at a media cocktail in Harare last week when he said it looked “set to bounce back to its blue chip status through teamwork, determination, focus and hard work”.

@Skhumoyo2000