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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter

FAILURE by most clubs to pay affiliation fees and register players on time has forced Zifa Southern Region to push back kick-off of the Division One League by two weeks.

The league was set to start this Saturday, but will now get underway on the weekend of April 13-14.

Only six clubs, former Premiership side Bulawayo City, ZPC Hwange, ambitious Talen Vision, Victoria Falls-based Mosi Rovers, Turk Mine-powered Casmyn and newboys Arenel Movers have paid their affiliation fees in full.

Plumtree-based Mainline, Pumula East’s Toronto and newly promoted Binga United have managed to pay part of their affiliation fees.

Affiliation for newly promoted clubs are pegged at $2 500, while old teams, including those that were relegated from the Premiership, pay $2 000.

This excludes players and technical team registration fees. Registration for each player is $20, meaning $500 for a squad of 25 players and $250 for five technical team members.

“The executive has decided to postpone the start of the First Division League by two weeks due to failure by some clubs to affiliate and register players. The final date for affiliation is now April 3 and if the clubs fail to meet the new deadline, then we will kick-off our season without them,” said Mehluli Thebe, Zifa Southern Region spokesperson. 

“The clubs agreed on the kick-off date, agreed on the affiliation fees at the annual general meeting and two weeks down the lane they’re going against what they agreed on; which is confusing. About player registration, we expect all clubs to have sent through when the transfer window closes this weekend.”

Only Mainline, Talen Vision, ZPC Hwange and Bulawayo City have registered their players.

Teams yet to register include the four teams that were promoted into the First Division, Ajax Hotspurs and Arenel Movers from Bulawayo as well as Nengasha Stars and Binga Pirates from Zifa Matabeleland North Division Two.

Coal miners Makomo, Mosi Rovers, army sides Indlovu Iyanyathela and Moto Moto, CIWU, Bosso 90, Casmyn and Toronto are expected to register before Friday.

“We are encouraging teams to do their registrations now so that if they have any challenges we are able to help them before the season starts. At times network is slow since the process in wholly done online, so clubs have to be patient and make the most when there is connectivity,” said Augustine Ndlovu, the Zifa Southern Region administrator.

– @ZililoR