adminTadious Manyepo Sports Reporter
THE Government have hailed the Jadel Football Academy project for the role the nursery is playing in not only nurturing talent, but by driving drugs and social ills away from communities.
The grassroots initiative was first set up in China by former Motor Action player Walter “Ringers” Musanhu before he established the local branch in Harare three years ago.
And it has been growing in leaps and bounds with most teenagers in Mbare now spending most of their time going through their paces at Harare High under the watchful eyes of highly-qualified technical personnel.
Six of the academy’s Under-13 boys are currently in Beijing, China where they are contesting in two Five-A-side tournaments as well as taking part in cultural exchange programmes.
The youngsters who include Tichaona Kunaka, Tafadzwa Sadziwa, Tashinga Wilbesi, Neymar Konono, Lionel Tuboyi and Munashe Mutsikadowo are already making waves in the Asian country after grabbing gold in the first competition.
The Zimbabweans were dominant in the Thaiwoo Invitational Cup played in Chongli Zhaikou which they won early this week.
They were unbeaten in the six-team tournament where they scored 20 goals in four matches while conceding just three times.
They are now preparing for the massive “Hundred Teams Cup” to be staged in Beijing starting next week.
After their Thaiwoo Invitational Cup heroics, the contingent was hosted by the Zimbabwe Embassy with Zimbabwe Ambassador to China Martin Chedondo commending the academy.
“As an embassy we are proud to have witnessed the growth of Jadel Football Academy (JFA) since its inception in 2019. The academy has made a positive impact on the highly competitive Chinese junior football academy panorama raising our country’s national flag high,” he said.
“To the embassy, JFA is not just a football association but represents investment by a Zimbabwean national, Walter Musanhu.
“This therefore confirms that possibilities are abound here in China for any visionary Zimbabwean to explore this big market taking advantage of the excellent bilateral relations between Zimbabwe and China.
“The successful operation of JFA in China goes beyond football as it has also further strengthened people to people exchanges between our two countries. The recent visit to China by JFA Zimbabwe team has exposed the country’s future stars to the Chinese footballing environment as well as the general culture”.
He commended the youngsters for winning the Thaiwoo Invitational Cup.
“We are happy to note that not only did they learn the culture but they also won a trophy in their inaugural tour of China, a clear testimony that indeed Zimbabwe is endowed with talented footballers which if properly nurtured through systems like the ones introduced by JFA, the country will certainly have a brighter future”.
Musanhu said more players from different age groups will be touring China for both cultural exchange and tournaments.
Online Reporter