HOW Mine Football club could emerge as an indomitable force in local soccer this year after assembling what looks like a formidable collection of football stars during this transfer period.
By our Staff
The Zimbabwe football transfer market seems to be making a paradigm shift as the gold miners and Harare City exercise unassailable financial muscle.
Traditional giants — Highlanders, Dynamos and CAPS United — have been relegated to recruiting through trials and promoting players from their junior structures as How Mine, and Harare City have swooped on big names in the league.
How Mine head coach Luke “Vahombe” Masomere has taken no prisoners in his mission to build a killing machine that looks set to grab the championship this season.
Vahombe, as he is popularly known in football circles, has so far acquired seven players that enjoyed first team football last season.
The latest acquisitions by the gold miners are ZPC Kariba marksman and Soccer Star of the Year second runner-up Limited Chikafa and former Highlanders striker Charles Sibanda. Both Sibanda and Chikafa graced last season’s soccer stars calendar with the former sharing the Golden Boot award with How mine striker Kudakwashe Musharu, each having banged in 12 goals.
This means Masomere has assembled a mean strike force made up of last season’s joint top goal scorers and Chikafa who finished with nine goals.
How Mine also took advantage of contract negotiations that were stalled between Dynamos and Devon Chafa and pounced on the gifted midfielder after having signed another Dynamos kingpin Tawanda Muparati.
They have also snatched Highlanders shot-stopper Munyaradzi Diya who was influential when the Bulawayo giants won the Mbada Diamonds Cup in 2013.
The gold miners have also reunited with former frontrunner Benjamin Marere who had a short stint with FC Platinum before retracing his footprints to the Bulawayo-based gold miners.
Ex-CAPS United skipper Tapiwa Khumbuyani has also joined the club, as has striker Leftara Ndale who is coming from Masvingo United. Signs are that “The doctor of football” is not yet done picking his guns and more players are still expected to join the club. How Mine chairman Mlondolozi Nkomo confirmed the acquisitions, but was quick to quash rumours that the gold miners were splashing cash on all good players in an effort to buy success.
“There has been a lot of business in the transfer market yes, but the truth of the matter is we have not been paying some of the monies that we have been reading in newspapers.
What we did was ask the coach to identify areas that needed beefing up and this is what we have been doing so far. The other thing is we are only dealing with players that are available. If you think you are not available and you would want large sums of money then you are not supposed to be part of us,” Nkomo said.
He added: “What we did was talk to some of the players and gave them our vision. So most of them liked the vision, not the money, which is why they committed themselves to the club.
The guys that are negotiating with players on behalf of the club told me that Charles [Sibanda] and Limited [Chikafa]’s representatives said the players are available so we will be finalising on those deals soon.”
This is not the first time that How Mine has gone on a spending spree as they did the same last year buying 12 players in preparation for life in the CAF Confederations Cup.
Then coach Philani “Beefy” Ncube acquired George Magariro, Ephraim Mazarura, Nyasha Mukumbi, Gilbert Banda, Wonder Sithole, Morris Kadzola, Kudakwashe Musharu, Tendai Ngulube, Courage Denias, Donovan Benard, Marvel Samaneka, James Chitereki, Blessing Sande, Edmore Muzanenhamo, Brighton Dube and Marere, but the players failed to bring success to the club. Most of these players have since been shown the exit door under Masomere’s rebuilding exercise.
Only Marere has made a dramatic comeback to the team after a short stint with FC Platinum last season.
While clubs like Highlanders, Dynamos and CAPS United have set their eyes on youthful players, How Mine is still going for the old guard.
“We have decided to go for experience. I think some of these players are not too old to bring us success,” said Nkomo as he defended the move to buy players who are way over 30 years.
The team has in the meantime parted ways with players that include Banda and Muzanenhamo, who is already training with Highlanders, as well as Warren Dube and Brighton Dube.
Veteran goal-minder Mazarura’s has also been shown the exit door. However, as Masomere builds his new empire at How Mine, player exodus looms at ZPC Kariba as the club seems to be struggling to retain most of their senior players.
All eyes will be on Saul Chaminika’s team to see whether Gwenya rekuchamhembe or Kauuya katuruturu will replicate the same form that saw them almost making it into history books by winning the championship in their maiden season in the top flight league.
Other football followers have a feeling that after failing to land the championship, ZPC Kariba will crumble just like what happened to Harare City who almost won the league title in 2013 but escaped the dreaded chop through the skin of their teeth the following season.
The team grabbed the top three soccer stars of the year accolades and capped it up with the coach of the year award.
ZPC Kariba have so far lost Tonderai Mateyaunga to champions Dynamos while How Mine have taken away Chikafa. Obey Mwerahari is on his way to DeMbare and Soccer Star of the Year Dennis Dauda has been trying his luck beyond borders with chances of him returning to Kariba very slim.
Things have also not been well at DeMbare and Bosso. The two giants got a double whammy when their sponsors BancABC dropped the bombshell that their sponsorship packages would be reduced by close to 40%, thereby presenting both teams with little options on the transfer market Bosso and DeMbare have both been losing players to clubs with sound financial muscle.
DeMbare have parted ways with Themba Ndlovu who has joined Harare City; as well as Chafa and Muparati. The club is battling to negotiate new deals for top striker Rodrick Mutuma, Tafadzwa Rusike and Russell Madamombe.
The Glamour Boys have in turn taken Kelvin Bulaji from CAPS United, Godknows Murwira from Shabanie, Mateyaunga from ZPC Kariba, Nigel Gandare from ZPC Morris and Carlos Rusere from DC Academy.
Meanwhile, Bosso have lost Charles Sibanda and Diya to town rivals How Mine and nothing concrete has been said about their new acquisitions.
Across town, Chicken Inn have also been busy on the transfer market as they have so far signed four players. Joey Antipas snatched Mitchelle Katsavairo from FC Platinum, Tapiwa Dephistara from Highlanders, David Temwanjira from Chiredzi and Edmore Chirambadare from Tsholotsho.
Harare City have not been left out as they have pounced on Soccer Star of the Year finalist Tendai Samanja together with his goalkeeper Tafadzwa Dube from CAPS United, Ndlovu from DeMbare, and their latest acquisition being Lincoln Zvasiya who has been playing in South Africa.
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