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Musa Mandaza

Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
ZIFA Southern Region will meet relegated Premiership clubs Bantu Rovers, Tsholotsho and Hwange to ascertain their participation in the First Division next season.

The teams are among the four sides that were relegated from the topflight league alongside Harare City, who are heading to the Northern Region Division One League.

Musa Mandaza, the Zifa Southern Region chairman, said he is disappointed the region had most Premiership sides that got the chop.

He said the meeting would also give them an idea of how many teams to relegate from the 2017 Southern Region Division One League that had 14 sides.

“We were waiting to see how many teams from the Premier Soccer League we should accommodate before wielding the axe on the bottom teams in our league.

“This has surely been a sad year for the Southern Region because we’ve lost control of the Premiership.

“We will find out if the teams coming from the PSL will be with us next year because there are rumours flying around that some will not be around. After meeting the relegated sides sometime this week, we will then know if there’s need to relegate from Division One,” said Mandaza.

Rovers indicated last month that they will be splitting their operations, with their academy team set to play in the Second Division, while the senior side takes a sabbatical and only intends to compete in the First Division in 2019.

The Southern Region Division One League ended the 2017 season with 13 active sides, having kicked off the season with 14 instead of 16 clubs. Victoria Falls Tigers were expelled from the league after missing three consecutive games.

Moto Moto and Technosphere withdrew before the start of the season, citing financial challenges.

“Remember that the clubs agreed to do away with a resolution to have 18 teams passed in 2015 and revert to a 16-team league, which we thought was going to improve the quality of competition in the league. What we want is for teams to be honest with us so that we don’t have sides that will withdraw and compromise the standard of our league,” Mandaza said.

Bulawayo Chiefs won the Southern Region Division One League title and will join giants Highlanders, How Mine, Chicken Inn and Bulawayo City in the topflight.

The Division One League has to accommodate four teams, two from Bulawayo and another two from the Matabeleland North Division Two leagues.

The bottom three teams in the First Division, Amagagasi, Chiwororo and Black Boots will have to make way for Bantu Rovers, Tsholotsho and Hwange.

@ZililoR