Birds could lose prolific striker, Zingawe

Lethal Bluebirds and Banyana Banyana striker, Zingawe Phakathi could be lost to the Birds this season.

Although her football future is still hazy at the moment, Zingawe is said to have demanded to be given her clearance last August, which the club did, but she has not collected it from the club’s offices.

Bluebirds coach Malvin Khumalo said the player had not indicated where she was going when she demanded to be given clearance. Khumalo said Zingawe and the club fell foul sometime last year because of her poor form, which meant she was not getting enough game time.

Seeing that she had not collected her clearance up to now, Khumalo said they may open a new chapter with her if she was willing to negotiate new terms with the club.

“We’re willing to open negotiations with her and come to some sort of understanding,” said Khumalo, who also indicated the club had gone out of its way to seek a replacement for her and had signed promising Tshwarelo Digauta from Soshanguve. Zingawe could not be reached for comment.

Digauta was featured in the off-season matches of the Year End Tournament of the Alexandra Northrand Local Football Association in December and she impressed many at the Alexandra Stadium. She shone in the ladies final of the tournament which pitted the two Alex giants against each other, Alex Ladies and the Birds.

Although the Birds were beaten 1-0 in the final, Digauta’s skills on the ball, her passing accuracy and positioning in good spaces in the box earned her accolades from the fans.

“We’re currently trying to get her to move from Soshanguve to relocate in Alex where she will begin her Grade 9 studies at KwaBhekilanga Secondary School,” said Khumalo, adding that Digauta, whom he described as “a promising footballer with a lot of potential”, had last year attended the High Performance Centre in Pretoria.

“Judging from the pre-season matches we have had so far with her, I believe she will blend in very well with the other players and our style of play, hence our desire to get her to relocate in order to be close to her teammates, both for practice sessions and league matches when the season opens,” Khumalo said.