BY TERRY MADYAUTA
SHABANIE MINE have appointed former Trojan Stars coach, Ikabort Masocha, as their new head of the technical team as the Zvishavane-based side targets a return to the top-flight league following their relegation last season.
Masocha replaces Alexio Sigion, who was recently appointed head coach at Premier Soccer League (PSL) newboys, Mushowani Stars.
Shabanie endured a difficult season last term, owing to a financial crisis that prompted a massive player exodus during the mid-season transfer window.
However, the Zvishavane side appears to have regrouped, making a raft of changes to their administration and technical team as they target a quick return to the PSL.
Notable among the changes is veteran administrator, Jonathan Ruhuhwa, who was recalled to the club.
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“He (Masocha) will be our new coach. We are expecting him to come today (yesterday) to finalise the contract as well as map the way forward together as a team,” club board member, Maxwell Nyashanu said.
Although they are still looking for sponsorship, Shabanie Mine have set sights on bouncing back to the to the top-flight in 2020.
“We look to assemble a strong and competitive team and, obviously, being a big brand in the league, we cannot target anything less than promotion.
“We are wary of competition in the league, but at the end of the season Shabanie Mine being the big brand and the big brother of our league, we are going to win it.
“The club resolved that we have to ratify our constitution in order to align it with the current situation at the club that would see us establish a system that helps us make sure that the welfare of our players is the main priority.
“Primarily, we have also agreed to activate our brand and also create alternative revenue streams that would help the team’s day-to-day operations, rather than depend on the gate takings,” he said.
However, the Chinda Boys are likely to face competition from well-funded teams such as Sheasham, ZPC Munyati and Whawha, who have flexed their muscles in a bid to garner for the sole PSL ticket.