Harare City Council Rejects Claims It Bought FC Hunters Franchise For US$600,000

The Harare City Council has denied reports that it acquired the FC Hunters franchise in a deal reportedly worth US$600,000.

Some media outlets had claimed that, under the alleged agreement, Harare City would integrate selected members of the Hunters executive into their management structure and take on seven players who were still under contract with the club.

It was also reported that Hunters’ owners were exploring ways to revive the club, either by joining the Eastern Region Division 2 or by taking over Harare City’s current spot in the Northern Region Soccer League.

However, in a statement issued on Friday evening, Harare City Council described the reports as malicious and deliberately fabricated, saying they were intended to create unnecessary alarm and despondency. Part of the statement reads:

“The correct position is that negotiations are still underway and the US$600 000 being maliciously peddled… is a lie as no such amounts have been agreed or paid.

“Alarmingly the whole story is based on unsubstantiated facts using unnamed sources when the publications could have easily sought comment from us.”

The City of Harare said it, along with Harare City Football Club, will provide the factual details to the public once negotiations are completed.

Earlier, Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume rejected the reported deal amount, stating that the council had been instructed to spend no more than 7 per cent of its budget on sports. He wrote on X:

“We have not paid those amounts. We already have a football club. We have been in the Premier League before, and amounts used for sports are budgeted for those purposes and not taken from another budget line. We have been directed to use 7 per cent of our budget by gvt on sports.”

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