adminNoel Munzabwa
IF ever there is any Zimbabwean participation in this year’s ongoing Eswatini Bank Cup semi-finals set for this weekend it will surely just have to be from the terraces after the last man — Steven Makatuka — bowed out at the quarter- finals stage last Sunday.
This will be the first time in seven years that this tournament has been without a Zimbabwean with some among them former Mbabane Swallows defender Talent Maphosa, Hloniphani Ndebele and Stanford Ncube having bagged gold.
Makatuka’s Mbabane Swallows were humbled by Royal Leopards 4-3 on penalties after a two-hour plus stoppage football marathon in a match the former Caps United player featured in, in the fiercely contested tie.
Last year, Julius Chakupewa was part of the Manzini Wanderers team set-up which beat Mbabane Highlanders 2-0 before falling 1-2 to Young Buffaloes in the grand final and the previous year, the then Saul Chaminuka-coached Matsapha United dismissed Manzini Wanderers 2-0 in the semi-finals.
Matsapha United went on to lose 0-2 to Young Buffaloes.
In 2016 the then Hebert Maruwa-coached Green Mamba beat the Tarisai Changara-coached Tambuti 3-1 at the semi-finals stage before losing 1-2 to Mbabane Swallows in the final. Maphosa was part of the Swallows set-up then.
Takawira Chimwanda was part of the Manzini Wanderers team that beat Manzini Sundowns in the semi-finals before losing the final 0-2 to Moneni Pirates.
Maphosa’s Swallows lost to Royal Leopards at the semi-finals stage in 2014, having bagged the trophy with a 5-3 win over Malanti Chiefs in 2013 with the then Lloyd Mutasa-coached Green Mamba bagging the trophy with a 3-1 win over Mbabane Highlanders.
In this year’s edition, the Chaminuka-coached Mbabane Highlanders and Changara’s Moneni Pirates bowed out at the Round of 16 stage with Rodwell Dhlakama leading Matsapha United to the quarter-finals before returning to Chapungu.
@NoelMunzabwa
Online Reporter