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Simba Sithole

Ricky Zililo Senior Sports Reporter
DISCARDED Ajax Cape Town striker Simba Sithole who has been training with Highlanders since the beginning of the week could make his Premiership debut for Bosso against Buffaloes next week.Sithole, who joined the Cape Town-based side in January this year after telling performances during the Chan tournament held in South Africa, was struck off the Capetonians’ books on July 29, two days before the expiry of Zimbabwe’s mid-season transfer window.

This therefore means that as according to Fifa statutes, the player can be registered outside the window as he is a free agent.

Highlanders chief executive officer Ndumiso Gumede yesterday said his technical department recommended that the club regularise Sithole’s registration with the league “as soon as possible.”

“Our technical team told me that Sithole can fit into the system after seeing him through the paces. He has been practising with us since Tuesday and as it is I am trying to alert my superiors about this development as soon as possible instead of briefing them next Monday when we hold our weekly meeting,” Gumede said.

The coming in of Sithole will give Highlanders more attacking options during the last stretch of the championship.

The physically imposing 25-year-old striker will be competing for a starting place with the league’s leading marksman Charles Sibanda who has banged in 12 goals in 21 matches, Ozias Zibande who has fallen down the pecking order following the arrival of Njabulo Ncube who is yet to score and Kudzi Machazane during the mid season transfer window.

Ncube rejoined Bosso from FC Platinum while Machazane came from Zifa Southern Region Division One Soccer League pacesetters Tsholotsho FC.

Speaking before attending Bosso’s afternoon training session yesterday, Sithole said expectations from Highlanders presented him with a challenge to take his game to greater heights.

“Injuries that hit me when I got at Ajax Cape Town had a negative impact on my career but that is all in the past as I am focusing on getting back to the field and deliver. Ajax Cape Town terminated my contract on July 29 and the reason why I have been in South Africa since then was to round up some business before coming back this side to resuscitate my career.

“I have been welcomed warmly at Highlanders by the players and the technical team leaving me to focus on my game.

“The reason why I chose Highlanders was because I needed a fresh challenge and because of the ambitions and expectations of this club I know that will keep me on my toes,” said Sithole.

He joined a long list of players to be offloaded by South African clubs among them Simba Sithole and ill-disciplined Roderick Mutuma, Oscar Machapa, Tafadzwa Rusike, Peter Moyo and Evans Gwekwerere.

Bloemfontein Celtic showed Mutuma the exit in April and the player had to wait till July to rejoin Dynamos.

According to sources at Zifa and PSL, the reason why Mutuma was denied permission to be registered outside the transfer window was that he was dismissed after the deadline.

“As you may be aware, Fifa statutes demand that a player first has to be deregistered by the association in which his club is registered before he can be registered in another association. With the new transfer matching system, it’s easy to see when the club actually terminated its contract with the player and that was how we found out that Mutuma was declared a free agent after the window had closed.

“Had he received his letter of dismissal before the end of the first transfer window, he would have been registered,” said the source.

With Sithole’s contract terminated on July 29, he can be registered anytime of the year.