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Eddie Chikamhi Senior Sports Reporter
THE Zimbabwe schools team is set to get the ball rolling today in the CAF African Schools Football Championship 2023 when they face Malawi in a three-day football festival that brings 10 Southern African nations to Gateway Primary School in Harare.
The local organisers confirmed all the participating teams had arrived in Zimbabwe by yesterday for the zonal tournament, which is being used as a COSAFA qualifier for the continental finals next year.
The participating teams are Angola, Botswana, Madagascar, Zambia, Eswatini, Malawi, South Africa, Namibia, Seychelles, Angola and Zimbabwe.
The Zimbabweans will be featuring in the event for the first time after missing the inaugural edition held in Malawi last year due to a FIFA suspension.
The hosts take on Malawi while Botswana clash with Eswatini in the Group A openers in the boys’ competition which starts at 9am. The same nations will clash in the girls’ tournament, with the official opening of the event to be conducted soon afterwards at 11am.
Zimbabwe’s FIFA Forward Manager, Kudzai Chitima, who is also heading the ZIFA Normalisation Committee’s development activities, yesterday told Zimpapers Sports that the event is set to leave a lasting legacy.
So far, the African Schools Football program has touched a lot of young lives through its different ancillary programs conducted in the last week as part of the build-up to the eagerly anticipated kick-off.
The organisers held a CAF D programme that ended yesterday, targeted mostly at equipping school teachers with the latest coaching methods.
They also had a safeguarding workshop, a young reporters’ workshop under the tutelage of the COSAFA Media department as well as a young referees training course under the watch of legendary ex-Zimbabwean referee Felix Tangawarima.
A Grassroots Festival was held in Mbare, where local legends like John Phiri, Onai Chingawo, Annie Konje and Richard Tswatswa were joined by South Africa’s AFCON winner and legend, Mark Fish, in imparting football nuggets and life skills.
About 250 children attended the event at Harare High School in Mbare.
The programmes ended with an emergency medical services training held yesterday.
“We are very happy to be hosting this second edition of the CAF African Schools Football Championship 2023 here in Zimbabwe. This is a very good initiative by CAF.
“It’s a grassroots tournament and it’s aimed at giving these kids the opportunity to enjoy them-selves without unnecessary pressure to win. It’s about creating a platform for developing these kids and moulding them into future stars.
“We are also happy that this tournament will leave a legacy for Zimbabwe in terms of the development pillars by capacitating all the football stakeholders involved,” said Chitima.
The boys’ competition will be played on full size pitches with 11-a-side, while the girls’ tournament is played on half-sized pitches and is eight-a-side. In both competitions it will be 20 minutes per half, with a 10-minute halftime break.
The Zimbabwe Under-15 boys will be led by former Dynamos youth coach Taruvinga and Irene Mwanza is the head coach of the girls’ team. Taruvinga, a teacher at Prince Edward High School, is a seasoned coach with extensive experience at the youth level.
Mwanza, is also a teacher, at Mosia Tunya High School in Victoria Falls. She possesses a deep understanding of the game and a passion for nurturing young talent.
Mwanza is looking to make an impact with her team. Despite being newcomers to the tournament, the Under-15 boys’ team coach Taruvinga also sounded upbeat that his boys will “put up a great performance”.
“I believe in the talent in the squad, especially being our first time in this competition,” said Taruvinga.
“Yes, other countries have played this youth competition before, and have prepared for a longer period, having done their selections as early as May and before, but that should challenge us to put on a great fight.
“The beauty of being a newcomer is that no one knows what you are bringing to the table.
“I’m looking forward to a great performance from the boys and believe they will get all the sup-port they need from their families, friends, communities and the nation as a whole.”
The organisers will also be hoping that rains stay away from the games, with the matches set to be played across four pitches.
South Africa and Angola open their bid for glory in the boys’ and girls’ competitions with a Group B clash at 10am, while Zambia and Namibia have a date on another pitch at the same time.
There will be a total of 20 games to be played on the opening day, with 20 more scheduled for tomorrow when the group phase will come to a close. The winners of each of the two pools in both the boys’ and girls’ competitions will then face each other in a final.
The girls’ final will be on Saturday at 10am, with the boys’ decider later on at noon.
Before then, the runners’ up in each pool will contest for the bronze medal. The girls’ playoff game is at 9am and the boys’ at 10am.
There will be a total of 44 games played across the three days of competition in a true festival of schools football.
“The 10-team competition will be a festival of schools’ football over three days, culminating in the finals of the boys’ and girls’ competitions on Saturday. “It is a welcome return for COSAFA to Zimbabwe, a nation that has successfully hosted several competitions in the past and has been a steady supplier of excellent young talent to the region.
“Those wishing to support the teams are welcome to attend, with matches on four pitches starting at 9am on all three days,” said COSAFA in a statement.
Online Reporter