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Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
BULAWAYO soccer fans will for the second year running miss out on the quarter-finals of the Super Eight Cup which get rolling tomorrow afternoon with a double header in Zvishavane. The Super Eight, now called One Wallet Cup and has a new sponsor, NetOne, was officially launched yesterday afternoon in the capital.
However, for the second largest city, it will be a very quiet weekend although the Midlands cities, Gweru and Zvishavane will witness their biggest football weekend in a long time.
According to the fixtures, Harare City and Triangle will get the ball rolling at Mandava Stadium tomorrow afternoon in an early kickoff before FC Platinum and Chicken Inn troop in later at 3PM.
On Saturday, Bulawayo giants Highlanders will leave for Gweru for a duel in a foreign land at Ascot Stadium against city neighbours How Mine before Dynamos and Caps United round up the quarter-finals at the giant National Sports Stadium on Sunday as they resume their unfinished business.
The top four clubs from last year’s final log standings, Dynamos, Highlanders, Harare City and FC Platinum were seeded.
All the matches are expected to be beamed live on SuperSport 9.
Last year the quarter-finals of the then Sup8r Cup which was bankrolled by financial institution, BancABC, were staged at Mandava, Mucheke and Gibbo stadiums with Mandava Stadium playing host to the final that pitted local rivals Shabanie Mine and FC Platinum.
Chicken Inn took on Shabanie Mine at Mandava Stadium while Mucheke Stadium played host to Highlanders and FC Platinum.
Four teams used Gibbo Stadium in a double header that saw now relegated teams Monomotapa and Motor Action taking to the field first before Dynamos engaged Buffaloes later that day.
The two Bulawayo teams were knocked out at the first hurdle.
Winners of the cup will pocket $80,000, losing finalists $60,000 while losing at the semi-final and quarter-final stage has a purse of $30,000 and $20, 000 respectively.
derick.khumalo