Dynamos forward Ronald “Rooney” Chitiyo is expected to complete his move to Harare City today after snubbing a new contract with the former champions as well as interest from other Castle Lager Premier Soccer League teams. BY HENRY MHARA
Chitiyo’s deal could have been completed yesterday had it not been for his commitments with the national team preparing for the Chan finals that will be played in Rwanda next month.
Harare City have already added Jimmy Tigere and Edwin Madhanaga to their squad, with three more new faces expected to join the club before the end of the week, including Chitiyo.
The club’s secretary-general Mathew Mahara yesterday revealed that they had snatched the highly-rated Tigere from Triangle on a two-year contract, while Madhanaga, outstanding for relegated Flame Lily last season, has signed a three-year contract.
He also said that they were still to finalise the Chitiyo deal.
It is understood that Chitiyo has agreed to the City move, but he was expected to tie up some lose ends on personal terms.
The departure of Chitiyo comes as a blow to Dynamos, who are looking to strengthen their squad after failing to win the championship last season.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
Harare City’s offer was said to have been too good to turn down for the highly-rated forward.
The local authority-backed side captured “good” signings in Tigere and Madhanaga, who were also subject of interest from other top clubs.
Madhanaga was a member of the Young Warriors squad which qualified for the Africa Games in Congo Brazzaville earlier this year.
“Those two have signed and we are looking at adding three more attacking players to the squad,” Mahara said.
He added that they had also managed to retain some of their stars from last season.
Those that have extended their stay with the Sunshine Boys include the team’s best player last season William Manondo, Maxwell Nyamupangedengu, Martin Vengesai, James Jam and Crispen Dickson.
However, winger Talent Chawapiwa has refused to renew his contract, with reports suggesting he is heading for FC Platinum.
City are looking to bolster their squad for next season, where they will be competing on two fronts, in the domestic league and the Caf Confederations Cup. They have until Thursday to submit their squad for the Caf Confederations Cup.
“We are finalising a few things, but we should be done before the deadline. The good thing is we have managed to retain the backbone of the squad. It’s unfortunate that we couldn’t renew Talent’s contract. He said he wanted to move on,” Mahara added.
The Taurai Mangwiro-coached side won the ticket to play in the Confederations Cup after winning the Chibuku Super Cup.
They will host AS Adema of Madagascar in the preliminary round on the weekend of February 12-14, with the reverse fixture a fortnight later in Antananarivo.
This would be the second time AS Adema would be facing a Zimbabwean side, after they were eliminated from the same competition at the same stage by the now-defunct Lengthens in 2010.
Should City go past Adema as hugely expected, they will face Zambian side Zanaco in the first round, who received a bye in the initial stage of the competition.
