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Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter

A MASSIVE player exodus has hit Bosso 90 in the Zifa Southern Region Division One League, with up to 13 requesting clearance letters after being overlooked for first team promotion.

The developmental side has been a subject of mixed opinion from Highlanders members, with some openly calling for it to be disbanded for not serving its purpose and to cut costs.  Others feel it is still a good project, although very few players have been promoted to the first team in the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League.

“The guys have literally started a new project, as most of the players want out, including two that had been training with the first team, Dalubuhle Dlodlo and Dominic Jaricha, who were told they were not good enough,” said a source.

Chronicle Sport is reliably informed that Xolani Mdlongwa, Donnet Fosho, Daniel Msindami, Innocent Chifamba, Denzel Mugadza, Tony Sibanda, Owen Sibanda, Dumo Moyo, Brighton Makopa, Nkosana Ndlovu and Bukhosi Maseko have not been reporting for training since pre-season started and have asked the club to release them.

Highlanders spokesperson Ronald Moyo could neither confirm nor deny that their developmental side has been hit by a player exodus, but said the club was implementing resolutions of the annual general meeting.

“I can’t comment on claims that some of the boys have asked for clearance letters, but what I can confirm is that we took a deliberate position as an institution that Bosso 90 should be made up of players below 21 years. This is why when we even called for trials, we were specific that only players who were below 20 years must attend because we saw no sense in having a 25-year-old playing in our developmental side, while Prince Dube, who is 22 years, is a regular in the first team. What development will we be talking about? So perhaps some, if not all of the players you mentioned, are above our cut-off age and even if the coaches wanted them, club policy would have seen them not qualifying,” said Moyo.

He said they were not going to offload the over-age players, but would instead loan them out so that they get game time.

Highlanders have previously loaned some of their players from the junior teams and later recalled them. They include Anzlom Ndlovu and Abraham Mbaiwa, who were at one time loaned to Chapungu, as well as Thamsanqa Vundla, who featured for Zesa (Hwange) in Division One and later Hwange FC in the Premiership.

“The coaches have told us that it’s better for a promising young player to go out there and get game time instead of rotting on the bench. A player can only improve by playing and please note that we are not going to discard these boys, no, we are going to loan them out and they will remain Highlanders’ players,” said Moyo.