Zimpapers Logo

Ricky Zililo Senior Sports Reporter
ZIFA Southern Region First Division club New West FC has disbanded. Lack of financial resources has led to its sole sponsor Tumediso “Drogba” Mokoena to throw in the towel after bankrolling the club for six years in Division One.

New West FC have since been replaced by Old Nic Mine who were supposed to have been relegated after finishing the 2014 Zifa Southern Region Division One Soccer League season second from the bottom.

New West FC were ninth.

“We’re turning to juniors and our plan is to merge with FMH Academy who are in the Zifa Bulawayo Metropolitan Province Division Three League. As of now, we’ve let all the boys that we had last season go,” said Mokoena.

He said the big challenge was that there was no money in football.

The club is credited for churning out the likes of Highlanders’ duo of Tendai Ngulube and Rahman Kutsanzira, ex-How Mine midfielder Warren Dube, former Harare City defender Zibusiso “Mzimara” Sibanda, Erico Phiri (Tsholotsho FC) and the Buffaloes FC goalkeeper Blessing Mwandimutsira.

The Southern Region Soccer League administrator Augustine Ndlovu confirmed New West FC’s exit.

“We’re almost done with player registration. We’re waiting for Old Nic Mine to submit their transfer matching system disc as we gave them late after New West FC announced that they would no longer be part of the league,” Ndlovu said.

Clubs like Ntabazinduna and newly promoted Casmyn FC have had challenges with the electronic registration — transfer matching system — which eventually led to the league delaying its kick off by a fortnight to April 4.

Initially, the Southern Region Soccer League was scheduled to start on March 21.

Hwange FC administrator Khumbulani Mbano was assigned to mentor Southern Region Soccer League teams from Matabeleland North Province so that they are conversant with electronic registration.

Clubs from Matabeleland North are Hwange Juniors, Technosphere, ZPC Hwange, Mpumalanga United, Makomo FC, Amagagasi and Trumus.

Bulawayo teams did their registration at the Zifa Southern Region office.

Zifa acquired the TMS from Fifa in December 2011 and the multi-purpose central data processing system is meant to centralise player registrations.