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HIGHLANDERS and Dynamos will clash for the fifth time this year when they meet in the Zifa Unity Cup at Barbourfields Stadium on Tuesday.
Zifa spokesperson Xolisani Gwesela yesterday insisted the match was still on. This is despite Highlanders indicating that they had released their players after the Easycall Cup final against Chicken Inn last Sunday and could not fulfil the fixture. That led to the postponement of the Joshua Nkomo Legacy Cup, where the two most supported football teams in the country were meant to clash over two legs in Harare and Bulawayo, to February next year.
Gwesela yesterday said communication had been sent to the clubs through the Premier Soccer League and they were expecting the match to go ahead as planned.
He said since his bosses, president Philip Chiyangwa and chief executive officer Jonathan Mashingaidze were out of the country, they will take care of any outstanding issues pertaining to the match when they arrive today.
“The teams were notified by the Premier Soccer League that there is the Zifa Unity Cup, we expect them to participate, if there are any issues to the contrary, the superiors will address them. We want to celebrate our Unity Day in style through football,’’ said Gwesela.
Prizes have been set at $20 000 for the winner and $15 000 for the losers while entry into the match is free of charge. Gwesela pointed out that the prize money has been made available by a sponsor whom he could not reveal.
He gave assurance that the sponsor had the capacity to take care of expenses associated with the match such as the hiring of the police to provide security.
Highlanders and Dynamos have already met four times this season, twice in league matches and the same number of times in cup competitions. Highlanders have this season surprisingly had an upper hand over a team that has dominated them over the years.
Bosso have won two of the four matches, the first being a 1-0 victory in the Zimbabwe National Army Charities Shield final at Rufaro Stadium and a 2-1 success in the last four of Easycall Cup at Barbourfields Stadium two weeks ago.
Dynamos won the first league meeting in June 3-2 under controversial circumstances at Rufaro when Highlanders were denied what appeared a genuine goal with the two teams playing out a 1-1 second league encounter in Bulawayo in July.
Online Reporter