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Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
FIVE Zimbabwean players from Chicken Inn, Caps United and Dynamos featured for Tanzania’s newly promoted Premiership side Singida United on Monday in the quarter-finals of the SportPesa Cup involving East African teams.
Chicken Inn’s duo of midfielder Tafadzwa Kutinyu and striker Adrian Banana, Dynamos’ pair of defender Elisha Muroiwa and midfielder Wisdom Mutasa as well as Simba Nhivi of Caps United lost out on an opportunity to play English Premiership side Everton after Singida lost 5-4 on penalties to Kenyan giants AFC Leopards.
The match had ended 1-1 in regulation time, with Kutinyu scoring for Singida after connecting a Mutasa corner. Mutasa will be joining Singida on a two-year-deal at the end of this month.
The other teams fighting to face Everton in July are Tanzanian league champions Young African, Kenya’s Tusker, Simba of Tanzania, Jang’ombe Boys FC of Zanzibar and Gor Mahia and Nakuru All Stars of Kenya.
Singida United are in the Singida region in central Tanzania and are owned by businessman Yusuf Mwandami, who is a Young African FC member, according to records.
The club is bankrolled by that country’s Minister of Home Affairs Mwigulu Nchemba, who is the MP for the area.
Nchemba told Chronicle Sport on Monday that the five Zimbabwean players are in Tanzania to bond with their teammates.
“We have five Zimbabwean players here and Kutinyu scored for us even though we lost the game after penalties. Basically the guys are here for team bonding.
“They will return to Zimbabwe and come back in time for the season’s start,” said Nchemba.
He believes the Zimbabwean players will help his team cement their place in the topflight as they plan to fight for the championship in the 2018/19 season.
Kutinyu, Mutasa, Nhivi and Muroiwa have all signed contracts, while Banana is hoping to impress Singida during his two-week long trial.
Banana is on loan from Chicken Inn at Southern Region Division One League table toppers Bulawayo Chiefs and has already missed two games for the ambitious Chiefs as he tries to seal a move.
@ZililoR
Online Reporter