The Sunday News
Fungai Muderere, Senior Sports Reporter
CHISUMBANJE-based Castle Lager Premier Soccer League newboys Green Fuel Football Club have vowed to brew surprises in the country’s elite football league as they will be competing in what their head coach Lloyd Mutasa has termed a “familiar zone”.
Lloyd Mutasa
The club was promoted to the Premier Soccer League for the first time in their history after winning the Zifa Eastern Region Soccer League championship last year. In their preparation for their maiden dance in the topflight league, Boys Dze Nharo have roped in youthful and seasoned players plus experienced technical team members. This is a development that seems to have given Mutasa so much belief ahead of the start of the 2023 season on 18 March.
“It’s so far so good with our preparations for the 2023 season. The preparations have gone well and we are ready to roll. We are psyching up and we are done with regards to our player recruitment. We brought in quite a number of new players and have a great arsenal at our disposal,” said Mutasa, a former Dynamos and FC Platinum coach who was fondly known as Samaita during his playing days.
He added: “We brought in experienced players and veteran people in our technical team. As such, the only thing about us in PSL will be the name. As a club, we are entering a familiar zone and we are certainly going to brew a couple of surprises. We boast of so much experience and we will soon be parading our squad to the nation,” said Mutasa.
Green Fuel embarked on a massive squad overhaul, offloading a number of players who got them to earn the sole ticket to the topflight league. They made 17 new signings with the list of the new recruits comprising of seasoned players who once plied their trade in the PSL and outside the country. Among the list, include Eric Chipeta and MacClive Phiri as well as Honest Moyo who once played in South Africa. Bukhosi “Zakhu” Sibanda, who was shown the exit by Highlanders after the club decided against renewing his contract which expired in December last year, is also among the list of the newly arrived.
Former Highlanders captain Bekithemba “Super” Ndlovu was roped in as an assistant coach to Mutasa.
Bekithemba Ndlovu
The ex-Warriors defender assumed the same position at Bosso before he was fired along with the club’s then head coach Mandla “Lulu” Mpofu in May 2022. Ndawana Dube, who was formerly with ZPC Kariba and Kiglon, is Green Fuel’s goalkeepers coach. In their season opener, Green Fuel will take on miracle boys Yadah in an away fixture before they entertain Herentals College in their week two encounter. Follow on Twitter – @FungaiMuderere
