Following the team's relocation to Bloemfontein last week, Tshakhuma Tsha Madzivhandila (TTM) will play their first home match at the Dr Molemela Stadium in Bloemfontein this weekend. They will host the pace setters, Casric Stars, on Saturday afternoon.
According to the president of the club, Mr Masala Mulaudzi, the relocation of the team means that a huge chunk of their budget will now be used towards the day-to-day administration of the team.
Mulaudzi said that the club had reached an agreement with the local municipality regarding the utilization of the Dr Molemela Stadium. In terms of the agreement, the club will pay R50 000 to the municipality towards the utilization of the stadium for all seven remaining home matches. Mulaudzi said that R50 000 was close to the amount they had been asked to pay the Thulamela Local Municipality for renting the Thohoyandou Stadium for each of their home matches.
TTM's vastly experienced defender, Issa Sarr, is the only player who did not relocate to Bloemfontein with the team. According to Mulaudzi, Sarr had cited family problems as a reason for not relocating to the Free State in the middle of the season.
Asked about the rumour that they were planning to dump their head coach, Mulaudzi was quick to confirm that Mr Johnny Ferreira was still the head coach of TTM. He explained that most of the people who were part of the management team had not relocated with the team to Bloemfontein. Mr Azwihangwisi Phasha (team manager) and Ms Wisani Nemaremelane (first aider) are the only two people who had relocated with the team.
Mulaudzi said that TTM had played a number of friendly games at their new home ground the past week as a way to get the players to acclimatise to the Free State weather conditions. He was confident that TTM could collect enough points in their 13 remaining matches to quality for the promotional playoffs at the end of the season.