Council approves $200 000 budget for Byo City FC

Sport
BULAWAYO CITY Football Club are geared for making it to the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League with city fathers approving a budget of $200 000 for the club’s campaign in the Southern Region Soccer League.

BULAWAYO CITY Football Club are geared for making it to the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League with city fathers approving a budget of $200 000 for the club’s campaign in the Southern Region Soccer League.

FORTUNE MBELE SPORTS REPORTER

The club was promoted from the Zifa Bulawayo Division Two league and the Zifa Southern Region has confirmed that Bulawayo City, coached by former Premiership mentor Philani “Beefy” Ncube, has already paid their $3 000 affiliation fees.

If they make it to the country’s top football league, they will become the second local authority side after Harare City to play in the PSL.

According to the latest council minutes, it has been resolved to recommend: “That Council sponsors the team to the tune of US$200 000 at this point as it was facing financial challenges. That the Director of Housing and Community Services (Isaiah Magagula) re-examines the structure of the team and thereafter re-submits fresh report to the General Purposes Committee.”

The management of the team will report to a Council Sports Administrator, a post which was requested by another committee and sources have said Highlanders treasurer Jerry Sibanda is likely to be recalled from the Bulawayo giants for that post.

The technical team is headed by Ncube, who is employed by the council and the manager is Tizirayi Luphahla with other coaches Gugulethu Dlomo and Mxolisi Nyoni all employed by the council.

Luphahla has previously been manager at another PSL side Chicken Inn and the physiotherapist is Khetho Moyo, also employed in the council’s Health Services while Bulawayo City have roped in goalkeepers’ coach Reginald Buhali, who is not a council employee.

The council report states that these will all receive allowances and winning bonuses.

“Currently both the management committee and the technical team were working on a voluntary basis to assemble a team for the 2015 season, pending approval from council before they could sign contracts.

Only one member of the technical team would be non – council employee as no suitable candidate could be found within council. As per Zifa dictates governing football, the management committee would only receive monthly allowances which it was proposed be pegged at $150 per person.

As for the technical team who were all council employees except the goalkeepers’ coach, it was proposed that they be given allowances of $500 for the technical manager and then $300 each for the team manager, the two assistant coaches and the physiotherapist.

The one non-council employee (goalkeepers’ coach) could also be given $300 like the other assistant coaches. For the technical team, the winning bonuses were proposed as follows: technical manager – $100, manager and assistant coaches – $75.

It was further proposed that the 30 players, (25 senior + 5 youths) be given allowances of $200 each and then winning bonuses of $50 each per match,” the report states.