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Senior Sports Reporter
TWO-TIME Zifa Southern Region Division One Soccer League championship winning coach with Quelaton and Bulawayo Chiefs now Plumtree Chiefs, Thulani “Thuts” Sibanda, has left the latter to take charge of all police force football teams.
Sibanda led Quelaton into the Premiership in 2012 and last season won the Zifa Southern Region Division One title with Plumtree Chiefs.
He started his new job at the ZRP sports office in Harare yesterday and according to Senior Assistant Commissioner Mekia Tanyanyiwa, Sibanda will be in charge of the forces’ football development.

Tanyanyiwa said Sibanda would draft a five-year policy that would see him identifying talent from the six ZRP teams that are competing in the country’s four Zifa Division One Regions.

There are two police force teams from the Northern Region and these are ex-Premiership club Black Mambas and Morris Depot, Black Boots who are competing in the Southern region, Eastern Region’s ZRP Masvingo and Black Eagles as well as ZRP Beitbridge who are in the Central Region.

“As you are aware, ZRP as an organisation normally identifies talent among police officers and Thulani Sibanda has been identified to spearhead football development in the force. He has been transferred to the national sports office and he will be in charge of football.

“Sibanda is expected to identify and assembly a strong team that will compete for a place in the Premiership at the end of 2015. It is very embarrassing for an organisation like ZRP not to have a team in the topflight and it is our hope that he (Sibanda) will be able to guide us into the Premiership like he did with Quelaton and Plumtree Chiefs,” said Tanyanyiwa.

Sibanda leaves Plumtree Chiefs still in firm control of the championship as they are second on the Zifa Southern Region Division One Soccer League table with 17 points after eight matches and trail log leaders Ntabazinduna Prison who have played two more games by four points.

Plumtree Chiefs secretary Dumisani Mantula-Sibanda thanked Sibanda for his role “in strengthening the Amakhosi brand”.
“We had a good relationship with Thuts but unfortunately if duty calls he has to serve the force. We really wanted to have him around as he had so many ideas of improving the club and now that the force which gave him the green light to help us needs his services, it is our hope that he will continue excelling there.

“Nevertheless, we have to continue and fight for the championship and we trust that the coaches that we have will do the job well,” said Mantula-Sibanda.
Former Highlanders defender Anzilom Sibanda and Nkosiyazi “Juice” Ncube will be in charge of Plumtree Chiefs with their first assignment being against Black Boots this weekend.Black Boots held third placed Tsholotsho to a goalless draw and sit on position six.

Results
Saturday: Mpumalanga 0-1 Technosphere, Nust 0-3 Ntabazinduna, Hwange Juniors 1-0 Elephant FC, Tsholotsho 0-0 Black Boots, Plumtree Chiefs 3-0 Portland Cement, New West 0-2 ZPC Hwange