Kasukuwere named junior football patron

The Minister was unveiled as the Junior League patron at a function in the capital yesterday where Zifa president Cuthbert Dube also revealed that he was bankrolling a talent identification tournament aimed at selecting some of the best emerging teenage boys around the country.
Some of the players from the tournament will also make it into the Zimbabwe team for the VW Junior Master competition scheduled for Poland in May.
This year’s local version of the VW Juniors Masters is expected to be officially launched at a press conference in the capital tomorrow, the same day that the process to choose players for the team that will travel to Poland will begin at Belgravia Sports Club and end on Sunday.
Teams from the country’s 10 provinces have been put into two groups of five for the round robin clashes.
Hosts Harare will play in Group A that also includes Masvingo, Matabeleland South, Midlands and Manicaland while Mashonaland Central, Matabeleland North, Mashonaland West and Mashonaland East make up Group B.
The round robin matches will be played on Saturday while the semi-final and final will kick off on Sunday.
At the end of the selection tournament, 16 players will then be picked for the trip to Poland where they will be under the guidance of Warriors legend and national Under-23 coach Peter Ndlovu.
Dube also emphasised the importance of the selection process and said his association was keen on building a “clean and talented generation of players in the country’’.
“The tournament is important as it will facilitate the selection of the Under-13 national team to represent the nation at the mini world cup in Poland.
“We are in a process of getting some sponsors who will construct the road that goes to the Zifa village and we will name the road after them.
“We also want to develop a modern stadium with all the modern facilities.
“I would like to see the young players develop, the weekend event I funded it myself and it is not the first times that have funded such events,” Dube said.