BULAWAYO Chiefs’ fans have taken it upon themselves to spruce up the club’s new stadium, AmaZulu Sports Club as the team last year secured a five-year lease from Bulawayo City Council.
Work at the facility, which has been lying idle for a very long time following the demise of AmaZulu Football Club, started last year and Bulawayo Chiefs’ women club and the men’s developmental side have been using the facility.
The reigning Chibuku Super Cup champions had halted the refurbishments at Amazulu Sports Club during the Christmas and New Year holidays due to financial problems.
The financially troubled club last year failed to pay its players for the better part of the second half of the season and they are due to lose a number of senior players this year with defender Elvis Moyo already in Dynamos’ books.
Elvis and his twin brother Kevin had their contracts with the Ninjas expire at the end of the year with the latter also reported to be on his way to the Glamour Boys.
Other senior players Kelvin Madzongwe, David Bizabani, Malvin Mkolo, Arthur “Diego” Musiyiwa, Obriel Chirinda and Perfect Chikwende could be on their way out with the club having told the players that if there are any clubs that wish sign them, they should approach the Ninjas for transfers to be done procedurally.
Sources said the club has started paying players what they owe in salaries that date back to September.
The spokesperson of the Bulawayo chapter of the club supporters, Prosper Phiri and other fans joined hands during the week and were part of a crew that is working at the AmaZulu Sports Club for the Ninjas to start their pre-season training at the facility under new gaffer, Farai Tawachera, formerly with relegated Bulawayo Chiefs.
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“As a chapter, we appreciate the efforts that the club has done for our football in Bulawayo and it will be unfair to just criticize issues as is being done; maybe it’s time we need to show action. As a chapter we are putting together a financial plan to assist the club and entice members to join the chapter and that money for joining fees will be channelled towards activities of the club,” Phiri said.
He said the persistent rains that have pounded the city and sewage flowing onto the pitch had stalled progress at the facility.
“The sewage problem and the persistent rains made it difficult for the grass to be maintained since the sewage was flowing non-stop for almost a month spilling into the pitch. The chapter played a part in getting the sewage problem stopped, but then rains came and the grass kept growing,” Phiri said.
An inside source said a construction company and another dealing in paints, who are eager to see through the Bulawayo Chiefs’ project have come on board to help the club.
“We have been given help by a local construction company and a paint company who have strong desires to see Bulawayo youths getting proper facilities to train; people that believe in the Bulawayo Chiefs project,” the source said.
A businessman in the City of Kings and Queens is also said to be coming on board to ensure Bulawayo Chiefs get back to its feet.
At the time of acquiring the stadium, when work started at the facility, club executive secretary Dumisani Mantula-Sibanda said: “One major setback in sports development in the country is the unavailability of facilities and this being a facility for us as a club, we think we are in the right direction. All we need to do is to have enough resources to put in place what we require that is going to make our project work. As a club, we hope that Bulawayo Chiefs will one day run a successful academy and for that project to be successful we need facilities.”
