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Lovemore Dube [email protected]

HIGHLANDERS chairman Kenneth Mhlophe has revealed that their Castle Lager Premier Soccer League match against GreenFuel at Barbourfields Stadium on Sunday resulted in a meagre sum of US$811 from the turnstiles.

This marks one of the lowest amounts earned by the club in recent times.

“We had a total of US$811 from paying fans at the stadium,” said Mhlophe without elaborating on how many people entered the Barbourfields.

Highlanders vs Green Fuel

The game against GreenFuel saw higher attendance compared to the previous match against ZPC Kariba, with the club recording a positive figure.

After the game against ZPC Kariba, the club faced difficulties paying the police and Bulawayo City Council due to low attendance, as fans either preferred to stay home or gather at the clubhouse following social media calls for a boycott to protest against biased refereeing.

However, on Sunday, fewer people participated in the boycott or fundraising at the clubhouse, indicating a waning interest in the protest against heavy fines imposed on Bosso and biased officiating.

Even attempts to invoke emotions by inviting people to celebrate the life of the club’s late chief executive officer, Sihlangu Dlodlo, were unsuccessful.

Dlodlo was found dead at his Nketa 9 home on Monday last week and was buried at Lady Stanley Cemetery on Saturday.

Bosso fans celebrate a win at Barbourfields Stadium on Sunday

Asked further about how much was raised and how many people attended the fundraiser, Mhlophe said: “The fundraising is purely fan-driven and we are yet to receive the outcome of the activity both in monetary and attendance figures. The match against GreenFuel had all stakeholder obligations met.”

He insisted that as far as the reason for the “fan-driven fundraising activity” was concerned, they were happy about the helping hand that assisted in paying the PSL fines.

“The outcome was successful,” said Mhlophe.

With questions hovering over Mhlophe and his executive, he insisted that they were still in charge.

“The elected leadership of the club and the board of directors are the official leaders and authority of the club,” he said.

This is despite the seeming takeover by the organisers of the fundraising, as they harassed the media and club members, some of whom have been going to the clubhouse after matches since the 1980s when the property was acquired.

Mhlophe and the club’s secretary-general, Morgan Dube, professed ignorance at the fracas that unfolded at the clubhouse before and after Sunday’s match.

Those who came from Barbourfields Stadium for their usual after-match hangout were denied entry, with gate marshals deployed for the event demanding that they pay.

Sense finally prevailed and they were able to celebrate the team’s 4-0 win, which produced the first hat-trick in a decade by a Bosso player. Striker, Lynoth Chikuhwa netted three and former United States-based Marvin Sibanda scored the other.

Mhlophe and Dube encouraged any aggrieved club member and the media to report to the police.

“I am sure they needed to report the matter to the club or police.”