Harare – Manica Diamonds Football Club officially ushered in a new era on Saturday, with Dannick Incorporated assuming ownership and promising to resolve the club’s mounting challenges, including unpaid debts that have left players smiling only after the takeover.

At a press conference held at the Grand Selous Hotel in Harare, outgoing leadership formally handed over the reins to new president Evans Kamongo, who declared that the club’s struggles – both on and off the pitch – would now be tackled head-on.

“The players have already started smiling,” Kamongo told journalists. “The bills are being catered for. There is a management department taking care of the areas of debts owed by the club.”

The takeover ends an eight-year era during which the Zimbabwe Consolidated Diamond Company (ZCDC) served as the club’s financial backbone. Outgoing leadership paid special tribute to ZCDC, calling it “the lifeblood” of the club and crediting it for giving Manica Diamonds its identity and place in the Premier Soccer League.

But results this season have fallen below expectations. Kamongo did not shy away from the club’s poor start, acknowledging that “results on the field have not reflected the standards expected by supporters.”

His immediate priorities include restoring calm, bringing structure, and ensuring players and technical staff receive the backing needed to compete. The new ownership also pledged transparency, discipline, and long-term growth beyond short-term fixes.

“We are coming not to destroy, but to increase – to bring stability to the thing that was shaking,” Kamongo said.

Questions emerged over the club’s relationship with Agram, a mining and construction company based in Manicaland whose branding has appeared on club assets. Kamongo clarified that Agram is a separate entity with no ownership of the club, but enjoys a strong partnership with Manica Diamonds, including sponsorship of youth and school sports in the province.

Pressed on specific debts, Kamongo said the club’s management would handle the details, adding only that “a department is taking care of the areas of the debts.”

The new president, who hails from Manicaland, said his motivation was provincial pride. “Manica Diamonds is the only club from Manicaland province in the Premier League. I would not be happy seeing the only eye of the province sitting back. We need Manicaland back in the system.”

In an unusual twist, Kamongo also confirmed the involvement of Prophet Hubert Angel, described as a “spiritual man” and personal friend, who will offer blessings to the club. “When playing football, we need the blessings from God through this anointed man of God,” Kamongo said.

The club’s executive structure will remain performance-based, with no immediate changes planned unless results fail to improve.

Supporters, who have remained loyal through difficult moments, were urged to stay united. “Your loyalty has carried this club through difficult moments,” outgoing leadership said. “It will be the same unity that carries it into a brighter future.”

Kamongo closed with a promise: “We sacrifice, we commit ourselves wholeheartedly. Brighter days lie ahead.”