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Kenny Ndebele

Ricky Zililo Senior Sports Reporter
THE Castle Lager Premier Soccer League has approached Fifa to assist with the electronic registration of players through the Transfer Matching System (TMS) during the mid-season transfer window that opens today.

Kennedy Ndebele, the PSL chief executive officer, said clubs that send registration papers for players they are adding to their squads will not be able to use them this weekend because of “slight glitches”.

Although Ndebele could not be drawn into stating the glitches, the anomaly may be a result of the sacking of all Zifa employees when the association was “dissolved” last month.

Timothy Mazhandu was Zifa’s TMS manager and is among the beleaguered national association’s members of the secretariat that lost their jobs when Zifa declared itself insolvent.

With players like Chicken Inn’s latest signings, ex-TP Mazembe midfielders Darryl Nyandoro and Chris Samakweri, moving back to the domestic league, reverse international transfer certificates will be needed to facilitate their registration.

Dynamos will wait longer to use midfielder Denver Mukamba, whose last club was South Africa’s Jomo Cosmos, as his papers also need to be accompanied by a reverse international transfer certificate.

“We’re talking to Fifa in terms of player registrations. There’s a small glitch, but we’re hopeful that we will make headway. There’re issues to do with international transfers and that’s what we’re dealing with. Licences will not be ready this week, but we’ll try to have those registered during this transfer window getting their licences next week,” said Ndebele.

Should the world football governing body give PSL the green light to operate the TMS, it will also facilitate clearances for local players that are moving to South Africa.

Some players that have joined or are on the verge of joining South African clubs include strikers Edmore Chirambadare and Mitchelle Katsvairo, who sealed deals with Kaizer Chiefs at the beginning of the week.

National team and Dynamos’ goalkeeper Tatenda Mukuruva as well as Harare City defender Blessing Moyo attended trials at Maritzburg this week.

How Mine forward Charles Sibanda is reported to have impressed South African First Division side Black Leopards.

Another player that will need an international clearance certificate is Knox Mutizwa, who signed for Bidvest Wits early in the year before being loaned to Highlanders. Mutizwa is expected to join his new teammates soon.

Clubs will be allowed to deregister and register five players during the window that closes on July 31.

“The window opens tomorrow (today) and we’re ready to make registrations. What will happen is that clubs interested in beefing up their squads will be allowed to deregister five players and add five if they so wish. Those who didn’t fill up their 25 slots can make use of their spaces before they deregister five players whom they may choose to replace or not,” Ndebele said.

He said there are no special provisions for clubs that will sell more than five players during the window.

Defending champions Chicken Inn are one of the first clubs expected to submit their transfer papers.

Chicken Inn signed ex-Monomotapa and TP Mazembe midfielders Nyandoro and Samakweri last week and will fill the slots of Katsvairo and Chirambadare, who moved to Kaizer Chiefs.

Table toppers Highlanders will be registering striker Nhlanhla Ndlovu, who was on loan at Southern Region Division One League leaders Amagagasi. Ndlovu is a direct replacement for Mutizwa.