National First Division hopefuls Tornado have begun their preparations in Polokwane where they are set to battle it out against eight other provincial champions starting next Monday in the NFD playoffs.
The team representing Eastern Cape in the tournament face Buya Msutu in their opening match on Monday afternoon.
They then move on to play hosts, The Dolphins at midday on Tuesday to finish the group stages.
Club manager, Simphiwe Magongo, said the players were responding well to the hot weather conditions in Limpopo.
“So far we’ve had two training sessions here and the boys have been showing good signs. We’ve been to the pitch and the pool just to avoid cramp and stiffness.
“We are still planning friendly games but it’s still difficult to find teams that are willing to play with us because there aren’t any teams that have arrived as yet.”
However club chairman, Simphiwo “Mawawa” Nyobo, has expressed his disappointment at Buffalo City Metro for not providing any financial support to the team carrying its residents hopes.
This leaves the provincial sport, recreation, arts and culture department as the only sponsor that has footed the club’s accommodation bill for seven days.
“After we qualified for the national tournament I was hopeful the municipality would come to the party.
“We are the only club representing the province in the playoffs and there’s a lot of things we need to make sure that these players are at their best.
“We asked for R25 000 for 10-match balls, R15 000 for training equipment and a R160000 for training kit and match kit, plus a R180 000 for medical costs.
“We need another R200 000 for medical professionals (a doctor and physio), a R120 000 for refreshments and another R300 000 for their miscellaneous costs,” said Nyobo.
He said they only received R50 000 that all 16 teams which participated in the third-tier league got from municipality, but Nyobo saw that amount was a drop in the ocean to the R1-million funding they had asked for from the municipality.
“Now I’m giving up on BCM because we don’t even have a playing field to call home and this shows that they are not interested in having a professional team playing here in this city.”
He said he would carry the costs because even when he went to ask for financial assistance for the playoffs in 2012 it was “boxing which was prioritised over soccer”.
“The same thing happened back then when we went to Polokwane for the same tournament, we got nothing. And our players got kicked out of their rooms because of non-payment and I had do damage control.
“I submitted my application together with boxing promoter Koko Godlo and his application was approved without any hassles. He also didn’t understand why I was getting the runaround,” said Nyobo.
 BCM portfolio head of sport and special programmes head Xolani Witbooi said the committee had already assisted all the clubs in the league with R50000.
“The dynamics that we have in the municipality is that when we were allocating funds, we were not aware that Tornado would be going to the playoffs at this time of the year,” said Witbooi. “I can confirm that they [Tornado] did submit a second application for funding, but in terms of the law, we are not allowed to give one applicant money twice in the same financial year.
“We have given the football federation – Safa-BCM about R500000 and this shows you that there’s a gap between the club and the federation.
“Because the federation was supposed to be assisting the team as well, but we understand the chairman’s frustration, especially since his club is playing away. It’s going to cost him a lot of money, but me at my level, I cannot do anything outside what I have done.”..