adminCharles Mabika
Special Correspondent
FOOTBALL legends from the high-density suburb of Mbare will grace a youth academies tournament final at Chitsere Primary School on Saturday where the match will pit I Am Mbare Youth Academy and Highfield-based Soca Malitis. The tie kicks-off at 11am.
The Ethan Masango Tournament is an annual event which is now in its second year’s running and is held to celebrate the short life of Ethan, who passed away at the early age of five in 2019 after he was born with a heart respiratory disease.
I Am Mbare Youth Academy’s chairman, Valentine Machiwenyika, who, together with the Academy’s president Peter Kasamba (who was Ethan’s grandfather) were the founders of this tournament, revealed that they had invited yesteryear greats from the suburb like Stanford “Stix” Mutizwa, David “Broom Boy” George, Edward “Dhudhuza” Sadomba, Henry “Beefy” Chari, Maronga “The Bomber” Nyangela, Peter “Skipper” Manyara, Dennis “Danger” Hlatywayo, Boniface “Keegan” Makuruzo, Innocent “Mbazo” Musapenda, Boniface “Achimwene” Kabwe, Leon “Tingo” Linyama, Jack “Dombo” Mutandagai and more to attend the match.
“There will also be a minute’s silence before kick-off in memory of Ethan and the greatest product of the suburb — George ‘Mastermind’ Shaya — who passed away last year,” said Machiwenyika. The two finalists had a gruelling path from an original pool of 16 teams, drawn from all over the capital, with some coming from places like Domboshawa, Ruwa, Epworth, Nyabira and Mabvuku.
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