Erstwhile Zifa benefactor Wicknell Chivayo’s persistent silence on the promise he made to pay the Warriors $250 000 was questioned Wednesday and has become the norm, Philip Chiyangwa leapt to the controversial businessman’s defence.

Chivayo pledged $250 000 – coincidentally the same sponsorship package unveiled by NetOne on Wednesday morning – as a token of appreciation for the Warriors if they qualified for the Afcon finals in Gabon.

The Warriors achieved that in style, qualifying with a game to spare after they beat Malawi 3-0 at the National Sports in June.

Chivayo then revealed that he was working on modalities to avail the $250 000 to the Warriors but six months later, the heavily built businessman is nowhere to be seen.

When asked about Chivayo’s suspicious silence, Chiyangwa evasively said the former was his own sponsor and not Zifa’s funder.

“Chivayo sponsored me and not Zifa,” Chiyangwa said, though his response failed to clarify Chivayo’s position with regards the pledge he made in June.

SportsZone could not get a comment from Chivayo whose mobile phone was not reachable.