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Eddie Chikamhi
Senior Sports Reporter
THE Premier Soccer League clubs are today expected to go into the hat for the draw of the Chibuku Super Cup which is expected to get underway later this month.
The country’s premier cup competition returned to the traditional knock-out format last season after it had suffered Covid-19 disruptions the previous two seasons.
The Chibuku Super Cup features all the 18 clubs in the topflight league. The organisers are likely to maintain the same format from last season when the top 14 teams, as of Week 17, automatically qualified to the first round draw.
The bottom four were relegated to the preliminary round where they played elimination matches with the victorious two joining the top teams in the round of 16.
This could mean that Nesbert Saruchera’s Cranborne Bullets could play in the preliminary round for the second year running as they are currently second from the bottom of the pile. They could be joined by fellow army side Black Rhinos who anchor the table, with Yadah and Premiership new boys Sheasham also in the mix.
ZPC Kariba could also have been down there but they won their previous two matches to move out of the bottom four, thanks to the input of veteran coach Luke Masomere, who was recently appointed head coach of the team.
Bulawayo Chiefs are the holders of the cup after winning it for the first time last year with Lizwe Sweswe, who has since moved to Sheasham.
A host of Chiefs players also left the club at the beginning of the season after encountering challenges with the club over their dues.
Chiefs beat Herentals 1-0 in the Chibuku Super Cup final at Barbourfields last year.
Both Herentals and Bulawayo Chiefs were rank outsiders at the start of the tournament.
On their way to the final, Bulawayo Chiefs upstaged Black Rhinos in the semi-finals at Mandava via a penalty shoot-out. The game had ended goalless in regulation time.
Herentals, on the other hand had a fairy-tale run after dumping defending champions FC Platinum at the same venue also through a penalty shoot-out.
They did not have it easy in the run up to the final, starting with the 2-1 win over 2016 champions Ngezi Platinum Stars at their Baobab fortress.
They then edged Manica Diamonds by an identical scoreline at the National Sports Stadium in the quarter-finals, to set up an appointment with the in-form FC Platinum, who were the defending champions.
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