Faith Ndou
MASVINGO-The release of the Pacific Storm Eastern Region Soccer League (ERSL) 2026 match day one fixtures has sparked debate within the Masvingo football fraternity after the noticeable absence of flamboyant outfit FC Wangu Mazodze.
When the league unveiled the opening fixtures for the new season today clubs such as Bikita Minerals FC, Masvingo United FC, Tenax CS FC and Great Zimbabwe University FC were all on the list.
However, FC Wangu Mazodze, a team that had been active throughout the pre-season was missing from the schedule.
The development has left fans and local football stakeholders asking one question: what happened to FC Wangu Mazodze?
The club had shown strong signs of preparedness ahead of the 2026 campaign. During the off-season, Mazodze conducted player trials, unveiled their technical team and was visibly involved in pre-season preparations raising expectations that they would compete in the upcoming ERSL season.
However, sources close to the developments have revealed that the club failed to meet the affiliation requirements ahead of the new season. It is understood that FC Wangu Mazodze did not pay the required affiliation fee, resulting in their omission from the official fixtures.
“The club was active during pre-season but affiliation is mandatory. Without paying the required fees, a team cannot be included in the league programme,” said a source familiar with the matter.
The absence of Mazodze has disappointed some supporters who had been looking forward to seeing the team compete especially after their visible preparations in recent months.
As other teams gear up for kick-off, uncertainty now surrounds the future of FC Wangu Mazodze. It remains to be seen whether the club will regularise its status and return to competitive action or if financial constraints will continue to hinder its participation.
For now, the Masvingo football community continues to speculate with many still wondering what exactly went wrong for a club that appeared ready for the season, only to miss out when it mattered most.
Other notable absentee is Rusitu Tigers FC from Chimanimani which showed a lot of potential in the last two seasons.
