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Musa Mandaza

Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
ZIFA Southern Region’s decision to invite Plumtree’s Mainline FC to the First Division has irked Ajax Hotspurs of Mpopoma, who finished the 2017 season a place above them in the Zifa Bulawayo Metropolitan Province Division Two league.

Ajax finished the season third behind champions Toronto FC and CIWU, who won automatic promotion to the Southern Region Division One league.

Other sides that were promoted to First Division are Motomoto and Lunda from Matabeleland North.

Mainline FC, who finished fourth in the Bulawayo Division Two league, took over the Bantu Rovers franchise, with Zifa Southern Region chairman Musa Mandaza saying the decision was made after Ajax indicated that they were financially crippled to play in the First Division.

However, Ajax director Siphambaniso Dube yesterday refuted Mandaza’s claims, saying they were “deliberately elbowed out”.

“We were never offered or invited to participate in Division One and one wonders what criteria Zifa Southern Region used to invite a team that finished lower than us on the table.

“Ask them if they made any official communication to us and who they talked to. We have an executive and no one can make unilateral decisions about the club. Everyone at Ajax Hotspurs is shocked that we are said to have turned down the offer,” said Dube.

Asked if they had the capacity to play Division One football, Dube said: “Had we been given an invite, maybe we would have found well-wishers.”

Mandaza referred questions to Zifa Bulawayo Metropolitan Province acting chairman Francis Ntutha, who defended their decision to elevate Mainline ahead of Ajax.

“It’s unfortunate that the director of Ajax Hotspurs (Dube) has decided to attack the association, while he knows that his side is not in good standing.

“When Zifa Southern Region wrote to us asking for a team that was going to replace Bantu Rovers, we looked at the table and how the teams were in terms of financial standings. We opted for Mainline because they were of good financial standing ahead of Ajax Hotspurs,” said Ntutha.

“The last time Ajax Hotspurs were in Division One, they left owing substantial amounts and they made a payment plan to clear those debts and till today they haven’t done so.

“They also owe the province substantial amounts. We can’t promote sides that fail to keep up with their financial obligations and keep on piling their debts,” he said.

Meanwhile, newly promoted First Division teams have up to the end of January to deposit a commitment fee of $1 000.

Affiliation fees for newly promoted clubs is $2 500, while old teams, including those that were relegated from the Premiership pay $2 000.

@ZililoR