… vows to make Scottland Zim’s Man City
Game-On Reporter
SCOTTLAND president Scott Sakupwanya has declared himself the “boss” of Zimbabwean football and vowed to turn his club into the “Manchester City of Zimbabwe” after splashing a record-breaking US$10,000 bonus on each player.
The champions’ players are set to pocket the biggest single cash reward ever paid to a squad in the Castle Lager Premiership after Sakupwanya doubled his initial US$5,000 promise for finishing top of the table at this stage of the season.
The cash windfall comes after Scottland’s impressive 2-0 victory over title rivals Hardrock at Rufaro Stadium on Sunday, a result that guaranteed the dedending champions to reman top of the standings regardless of the outcome of Hardrock’s unresolved abandoned match against Dynamos.
Speaking on the club’s in-house platform, Sakupwanya said rewarding players was the key to success and revealed his ambitious plan to keep Zimbabwe’s best footballers at home.
“You have to pay players so that they stay happy,” he said.
“I had promised them US$5,000 for finishing top of the log after 18 games and I have since put it up to US$10,000.
“We don’t want them to go to South Africa. They must stay in Zimbabwe.
“My goal is to bring all the good players who are out of the country to return home and play in Zimbabwe,” he said.
Sakupwanya also fired a warning shot at rival club owners, insisting financial investment separates winners from the rest.
In a direct message to Hardrock owner Innoce
Shepherd “Magodora” Chahwanda he said.
“In business you are a big boy but, in football, I am the boss,” he said.
Scottland have underlined their championship credentials in recent weeks by beating fellow title contenders Hardrock, Herentals and CAPS United, with all three sides failing to score against them.
“I know how to play the game, I have good players and I have invested a lot of money.
“So, when I invest a lot of money into my players, what results do you expect?
“Those that do not invest in their players should not expect good results,” boasted Sakupwanya.
Scottland’s recent run of five straight victories showed the team had finally found its rhythm and was laying the groundwork for a CAF Champions League campaign.
“The team has now gelled,” he said.
“We are winning matches without any complaints. We are on a good run against teams that had been in top form before we faced them,” he said.
Sakupwanya insists the club’s ambitions stretch far beyond the domestic league as he claimed a major sponsorship agreement has already been secured in Dubai and promised the club would soon justify comparisons with English giants Manchester City.
“People might think we were joking that we are the Man City in Zimbabwe.
“They will see next year that, indeed, we are the Man City.
“They will see what will be written on our jerseys. I have done the deal, I was in Dubai and signed the deal already,” he said.
