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Sports Correspondent
FIVE clubs in the Zifa Southern Region Division One league have been given up to February 21 to clear their affiliation arrears for last season or face the boot.

The league’s leadership met on January 29 and decided to give Nust, Ntabazinduna, Casmyn, Trumus and Technosphere three weeks to pay the full affiliation fees for 2016.

It could not be ascertained how much each club owes, but the 2015 affiliation fee was pegged at $3,000.

Sources in the Zifa Southern Region executive said any team that fails to cough up within the given period is likely to face the boot.

“The teams are likely to go the Zimbabwe Saints way if they fail to pay within the stipulated timeframe,” said the source.

Saints were expelled from Division One, together with Kabwe Warriors, in 2014 after failing to pay full affiliation fees. The former Premiership giants owed $5,000 after failing to pay affiliation fees for two seasons.

Southern Region chairman Musa Mandaza said they had assigned treasurer Bryton Malandule to write final letters of demand to the affected clubs clearly stating that the money should be paid by February 21.

“We have asked our finance man to write to the teams informing them they have up to February 21 to pay what they owe. We have not decided what will happen to clubs that fail to pay, but we believe by that date some form of payment should have been made.

“The clubs should at least be taking action to show they are able and committed to extinguishing those arrears. It would be unfair to start the league with some teams still owing,” said Mandaza.

He said their final action would be taken by the clubs at the region’s annual general meeting to be held in the first week of March.

He said they are likely to have 18 teams this year following a resolution passed by the assembly at last year’s mid-year general meeting.