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Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter
HIGHLANDERS’ acting chief executive officer Ronald Moyo says misconception that they now have a huge budget because of the Sakunda Holdings’ sponsorship has affected the club’s transfer business.

He said most clubs they had approached for players were demanding exorbitant fees, which Bosso could not afford.

“If you remember we mentioned that the coaches had their wish-list when we were approaching the (transfer) window.

We will admit that we did not get everyone we wanted because of the nature of the business.

Some of the players the coaches wanted were contracted,” said Moyo.

“Almost all the players that they wanted were contracted and the fact that on that particular aspect the coming on board of Sakunda did not make things easy for us because when you make an approach for a player, they think of Sakunda and think you have a lot of money.

The players we approached, and we will not mention names to respect their clubs, asked for fees outside of this world.

What they are expecting is out of this world and we had to live within our means.”

He also took time to explain how the US$60 000 availed to them by Sakunda for player acquisitions actually works.

“The US$60 000 sign-on fee that we talk about is not only there to buy new players.

It also covers players that are already part of the squad and have to pay for their sign-on fees every year.

Our arrangement is that when we sign a player for three years, we have to pay their sign-on fees every year.

What it means is if we want five players at the beginning of the year, we first have to clear the 25 players that we owe on sign-on fees,” he said.

“So, from that US$60 000 we first deal with the sign-on fees of the players that we already have then what remains is the budget we use to sign new players.

That is the reason we did not sign as many players as most people would have expected.

But we had to go for what was needed, which was a striker, because the goals were not coming.”

Highlanders offloaded defender Charlton Siamalonga and goalkeeper Future Sibanda.

They roped in Stanley Ngala and Rahman Kutsanzira from FC Platinum as well as Young Warriors’ goalkeeper Raphael Pitisi from Triangle.

The club also extended the contracts of goalkeeper and captain Ariel Sibanda, vice-captain Nqobizitha Masuku, defenders Mbongeni Ndlovu and Andrew Mbeba.

– @innocentskizoe