Copa Coca-Cola national finals roar into life

Fungai Muderere
YOUNG footballers from across the country will on Friday converge on Chipindura High School in Bindura for this yearaï¿½ï¿½s edition of the Copa Coca-Cola Under-15 boys and girls national contest.

Hermann Gmeiner High School will host the girlsaï¿½ï¿½ finals.

The tournament which starts at the zonal level, reaches its climax on Saturday with 24 boys and girls teams expected to take part.

With the advent of the new CopaAï¿½ Coca-Cola global competition, Nash has had to review the schools competition age limit downwards from an Under-16s and Under-17s to an Under-15 tournament in both theAï¿½ boys and girlsaï¿½ï¿½ sections.

Sports journalists select top performers in the boys category to compete at the inaugural Five-A-Side World Cup to be held in South Africa later this year.

The Five-A-Side World Cup, which comes during the 27th edition of the competition pioneered by Zimbabwe in 1989, signals the growth of the occasion on a global scale.

Ten provincial winners for each category will join the hosts and defending champions Rujeko (boys) and Chidyamakono (girls).

At the finals, Lobengula High and Mpopoma High carry the hopes of an expectantAï¿½ Bulawayo province.

Lobengula took the boysaï¿½ï¿½ title through a 4-2 penalties triumph over Mzilikazi in the final. Mpopoma recorded a 1-0 victory over Townsend to book a ticket for the national finals.

The last time a school from Bulawayo won the countryaï¿½ï¿½s most prestigious soccer tournament, Copa Coca-Cola was way back in 2001 when Mzilikazi were crowned champions.

When Mzilikazi, winners of the inaugural tournament in 1989, dominated the competition, it was still for the Under-20 age group and no school from Bulawayo has ever won it since it changed to Under-16. For Bulawayo province, which has produced talented players who have excelled at national level, failure at such a tournament is hard to understand.

Matabeleland South will have Gwanda North District champions Sabiwa (boys) and Beitbridgeaï¿½ï¿½s Tongwe (girls) to bank on.

Tohwe High and Somvubu High are the boysaï¿½ï¿½ and girlsaï¿½ï¿½ representatives for Matabeleland North province.

Mashonaland Central will have three teams in the boysaï¿½ï¿½ competition as title holders Rujeko are from the province, while Chipindura qualify as hosts and Kundayi are the provincial champions.

In the girlsaï¿½ï¿½ category, the host province has Hermann Gmeiner and Rushinga. Masvingo will also have two representatives in the form of reigning champions Chidyamakono and Mwenezi, the provincial winners.