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Innocent Kurira, Sports Reporter
UGLY fights for the ownership of Zimbabwe Saints have in the past jeopardised the revival of the yester year giant of Zimbabwe football.

Infighting at the club is not new, as separatist elements come in clamouring that they own the institution each time things seem to be working well at the club.

In fact, the battle for the control of the club at one time went all the way to the Bulawayo High Court.

It appears that every time when the club is on the verge of being revived thanks to a financial injection, fights start again.

Now that Australian based benefactor, Adrian Mtungwazi has pledged to pour in money to revive the club, will the figures that are constantly at each other’s throats bury the hatchet for the good of the club?

Zimbabwe Saints board of trustees chairman Vincent Pamire believes the ugly side of the club has had a facelift.

The structures that we have planned will not allow any disturbance to this project.

I don’t believe we will have individuals who will come to destroy this peoples’ project.

Our system will not allow that.

Of course there will be talk but the project will not be messed up with.

“This time we are doing things differently.

We will not allow anyone to disturb the smooth running of the club.”

Pamire says they have let go of the past, but they are keeping the lessons it taught them.

“We have learnt from our past mistakes and this time around nothing will stop the revival of the club,” said Pamire.
He said the club is now working on putting in place solid and permanent structures.

“We are excited, but the biggest challenge we start now is that the expectation is now high and we need to start working.

We have always said that whatever structures we had were not permanent structures so now the challenge is to have permanent structures.

We have started working now.

We are not sleeping trying to make sure that everything is in order in teams making our way forward,” he added.

“Our sponsor has said he wants the team to play in the Premier League and that is what we are pushing for.

The players have been playing for peanuts which has been our problem this season but now that we have a sponsor it will allow us to look at getting quality players and also motivating the players to do well.”

Mtungwazi has injected US$30 000 into the club as well as paying winning bonuses for the team that is playing in the Southern Region Division One League.

He also bought two housing stands that have been awarded to the club.

Chauya Chikwata, relegated from the Premier League in 2011, were thrown out of Division One in 2014 for failing to pay $2 500 in affiliation fees.

They were on the side-lines before registering in the Zifa Bulawayo Province Division Two League in 2015, where they finished 13th.

Zimbabwe Saints’ manoeuvres to play in Division One in 2016 hit a brick wall after they failed to raise funds to acquire the Quelaton franchise, which had been surrendered by Nust.

Chikwata last played in the Premier Soccer League in 2011 after they had bought Chitungwiza-based Eagles’ franchise at the behest of businessman Felix Dzumbunu following their relegation to the lower league in 2006. – @innocentskizoe.