Zim Saints get ball rolling
By Ricky Zililo
The revival of Zimbabwe Saints FC goes a gear up tomorrow when the club publicly unveils a roadmap at the Saints Clubhouse in Queens Park East.
Saints bounced back into the Zifa Southern Region Division One League last year after clearing a debt of US$5 000 owed to Zifa backdated to 2014.
Saints’ last sojourn in the Premier Soccer League was in 2011 before they were relegated to Division One where they were expelled in 2014 for failing to pay $2 500 affiliation fees and remained in the wilderness until they registered with the Zifa Bulawayo Province Division Two League in 2015.
They have to beat the region’s affiliation fee payment deadline of May 30 and register all or part of their squad by May 31. Affiliation fees, which exclude player registration levies, is US$2 000.
Expectations are that the club will unveil a technical team, among other issues.
Saints Board of Trustees chairman Vincent Pamire said: “Something big is brewing and there will be a presentation about the revival of Zimbabwe Saints. This is a people’s pride driven initiative and the event will kick the ball rolling.”
Pamire would not be drawn to shed more light about Friday’s event.
Other members of the trustees are Cliff Manugwe (secretary), Ernest Tekere and Elisha Bere.
Businessman Felix Dzumbunu, a former chairman, has been appointed to lead the club’s interim executive.
A group of Saints members led by renowned coaching instructor Gibson Homela tried to revive the club in 2017 and held trials for Under-12s, 14s, 16s and 18s at their clubhouse.
Homela was being assisted by another club legend Godfrey Paradza in identifying talent to anchor the club’s revival on youth development.
It’s not clear if Homela and Paradza are still involved in the new initiative to be unveiled tomorrow.
Meanwhile, those who harbour ambitions of leading Saints should be holders of a gold membership, whose joining fee is US$4 000. The Chronicle
