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Eddie Chikamhi Senior Sports Reporter

FINANCIAL services provider FBC Holdings have lived up to their pledge after paying a total of US$35 000 cash in winning bonuses to the Warriors for the win against Guinea at the Africa Cup of Nations.

The Warriors, who returned home last week, finished the tournament with a single win when they beat Guinea 2-1 in the last game in Group B.

FBC Group chief executive officer, John Mushayavanhu, handed over the money to the players’ representatives, since some of the foreign-based professionals have already returned to their bases.

The function was also graced by representatives from the Ministry of Youth, Sports, Arts and Recreation, the Sports Commission chairman, Gerald Mlotshwa, and his team, members of the ZIFA secretariat led by the acting chief executive officer, Xolisani Gwesela, technical director Wilson Mutekede, Warriors team manager Wellington Mpandare and coach Norman Mapeza.

“I am a very happy man today because what we are gathered here for is a noble cause,” said Mushayavanhu.

“It is a noble cause in the sense that as FBC Holdings, when the AFCON tournament started we sat down and said to ourselves, is there anything that we can do to spur the Warriors into action and to produce their best?

“And in that respect, we decided we will then come up with a package to incentivize the team. That package we included US$1 000 for every win and we then said if you bring the AFCON cup home you will get houses.

“Unfortunately, the Warriors were not there when the announcement was made but we did ask the team from the SRC to send pictures of the houses.

“However, things did quite not go as we had envisaged. Football being football, it didn’t happen the way we expected it.

“Nonetheless, you didn’t come home empty-handed and we are here today to hand over the cash to the players and technical team. The amount that we are paying out today is US$35 000,” said Mushayavanhu.