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NewsDay

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Saints crisis

Sport
Troubled Zimbabwe Saints held an urgent meeting on Monday night and tasked members of the executive to approach the club’s former great players to motivate the team as they seek to avoid relegation following their 4-0 drubbing by Dynamos in a Premier Soccer League match at Rufaro Stadium on Sunday. Chikwata now anchor the log-standings […]

Troubled Zimbabwe Saints held an urgent meeting on Monday night and tasked members of the executive to approach the club’s former great players to motivate the team as they seek to avoid relegation following their 4-0 drubbing by Dynamos in a Premier Soccer League match at Rufaro Stadium on Sunday.

Chikwata now anchor the log-standings with seven matches remaining in the 2011 season after they received a further knock from Dynamos to land on the base of the log table.

Club organising secretary Jabulani Chinyangarara yesterday said chairman Felix Dzumbunu and secretary-general Caleb Sengu were on Monday tasked to approach their former great players like former Zifa technical director Gibson Homela, Ebson “Sugar” Muguyo and Max Tshuma to motivate the coaches and players in an effort to avert the imminent chop.

“We held a meeting last night (Monday night) and discussed the current precarious position that the club is in and we concluded that the boys need to be motivated.

“We are trying to put up a fund in that direction. We have also tasked the chairman and the SG (secretary-general) to talk to some of our great players to motivate them and give advice to the coaches. We are talking of former players like Sugar Muguyo, Gibson Homela and Max Tshuma to come in an advisory capacity and tell the boys that we are not yet out.

“He (Dzumbunu) promised that he is going to do that,” Chinyangarara said.

The Zimbabwe Saints organising secretary said they remained with not-so-tough matches, but the worry was that they were left to play against teams who were also facing relegation.

The toughest hurdle for the Premiership returnees is when they meet Chicken Inn in their next assignment at White City Stadium after which they travel to Harare for a date with 10th-placed Monomotapa, who are eight points ahead of them.

After Monomotapa, they are home to troublesome Blue Ribbon before travelling to Mucheke Stadium for Masvingo United.

Chikwata will then entertain police side Black Mambas, who are also reeling in the relegation zone, before another trip to equally-troubled Kiglon in Harare. They play their last match against Caps United at home.

“The only fear is that we are left with teams who are fighting relegation like ourselves and those are the tricky matches,” Chinyangarara said.

Meanwhile, Chinyangarara on Tuesday said head coach Ephraim Chawanda has not been feeling well and had been admitted in hospital in Botswana, but was expected to be back on Thursday.

He will be available when they take on Highlanders in the first round of the Mbada Diamonds Cup at the Colliery at the weekend.

Chawanda reportedly visited his family in Botswana after the draw with Motor Action on August 28 at White City Stadium and fell ill and had been hospitalised for seven days before he was discharged on Sunday.

“I spoke to him this morning (Tuesday morning). He had been admitted in hospital and came out on Sunday. We are expecting him to be in town on Thursday ,” Chinyangarara said.

Assistant coach Admore Sibanda was in charge when Zimbabwe Saints were massacred by Dynamos in Harare.