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In this collage Highlanders players go through routine exercises during a session at the newly opened Body Works Gym in the city yesterday. The players were loosening up after their 3-1 Chibuku Super Cup quarter-final win over How Mine on Sunday

Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
FOOTBALL continues to be the biggest loser from gate takings on the domestic scene with  Highlanders and How Mine sharing a paltry $2,000  from their Chibuku Super Cup quarter-final match played on Sunday.
The police, Sport and Recreation Commission (SRC), Zifa and the Premier Soccer League (PSL) were the biggest beneficiaries, earning a total of $3,617. Other expenses included grounds rental and payment of cashiers.

About 3,000 fans paid their way into Hartsfield ground, grossing $9,827. After expenses, Bulawayo giants Highlanders and gold miners How Mine shared $1,980.

“As Highlanders we got $992 and simple Mathematics will tell you that if we were sharing, the other team naturally got the same amount as well,” said Highlanders chief executive officer Ndumiso Gumede.

The country’s supreme sports body, SRC and the football mother-body, Zifa each banked $590 while the PSL took $669.
Scaffolding used by the SuperSport crew cost Highlanders and How Mine $420. The police got $1,348 while a total of $1,966 was paid to the owners of the ground, the Matabeleland Rugby Football Board (MRFB).

“Surely, football is not benefiting at the end of the day because even before the match we already have huge costs that we are faced with, like training venue hiring, camping among other costs,” said Gumede.

From the net takings, Highlanders have to pay winning bonuses to their players. Bosso won the match 3-1 through goals from midfield enforcer Felix “SaNicky” Chindungwe, Dumisani Fazo Ndlovu and hitman Charles Sibanda.

Highlanders’ winning bonuses bill stands at a minimum of $5,500 per game depending on the number of goals that the team would have scored.

The Sunday match left the already debt ridden club around $4,600 in the red. In most cases a huge chunk of the money goes into administrative costs that might include allowances for the sponsoring company executives.

In Highlanders’ recent mid week game against Buffaloes, 2,221 fans paid their way through with $11,000 grossed, leaving the club with $3,159.

The Chibuku Super Cup is sponsored to the tune of $500,000 with winners set to walk away with $75,000, losing finalists $50,000 and the two semi-finalists will bank $25,000 each. Losing quarter-finalists and first round losers will get $20,000 and $15,000 respectively.
Efforts to get a comment from Delta Beverages’ Patricia Murambinda were in vain as her mobile phone was not being answered.