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Fungai Muderere, Senior Sports Reporter

CHICKEN INN head coach Joey Antipas has reiterated that they are not pressing any panic buttons after midfielder Valentine Kadonzvo recently left the club to join Ngezi Platinum Stars.

Kadonzvo joined the Gamecocks at the beginning of 2019 from Dynamos and was at the centre of a transfer wrangle between the two teams after DeMbare claimed that they were duped by the player into issuing him a clearance on the pretext that he was moving to the United States of America on a sports scholarship, only for him to resurface at Chicken Inn where he then signed a two-year contract.“Valentine is no longer with us. He was a good player. As such, we are not pressing any panic buttons as we have managed to replace Kadonzvo with the equally talented Michael Charamba,” said Antipas.

The Gamecocks recently lost midfield enforcer Tichaona Chipunza, who was recently unveiled by Zambian club Nkana FC.

While Chicken Inn contend that Chipunza was still their player and are not happy at how he was cleared by Zifa, Antipas said they are happy they have got former Bulawayo Chiefs player Shepherd Mhlanga as a direct replacement for Chipunza.

Chicken Inn made damning allegations that midfielder Chipunza was fraudulently cleared to join Nkana, as they were not consulted about the issuing of an international transfer clearance (ITC).

“Yes, Chipunza left us, but we are more than ready to replace him with Shephered Mhlanga. Mhlanga is good both in the air and on the ground,” said Antipas.

Mhlanga was part of the Chicken Inn squad that toured Malawi at the beginning of 2020 and had stellar performances, which left many in the Chicken Inn circles wondering how Antipas was going to pick his players for the midfield, as Chipunza was still with the club.

Chicken Inn had already snatched Ian Nekati from ZPC Kariba, Clive Dzingai, formerly with Mushowani Stars, and Brian Muza from Zifa Southern Region Division One side Talen Vision, Lukas Sibanda, Brian Giant and exciting the Nelson Ketala before the Covid-19 outbreak forced the suspension of all football activities.

The club’s three veteran players Guide Goddard, Mosses Jackson and Passmore Bernard recently committed to the club and will be expected to give proper guidance to the club’s new brooms in their quest to do well. — @FungaiMuderere