La Liga date Highfield

Zifa Northern Region Division One, the league will serve a full menu this weekend with a big battle of newboys between FC La Liga and Highfield United on Sunday.
The two sides will square off at Hellenic Sports Club, which has been La Liga’s home from the time they were playing in the financial institutions’ league, as Renaissance Bank.
Both teams have made their presence felt in Division One after flexing their financial muscles to adequately prepare for the 2011 championship.
Highfield, who hogged the limelight during the off-season break following a buying spree that lured Peter Ndlovu, Washington Arubi, Murape Murape and Benjamin Marere, were inactive last weekend.
Their opening encounter against Black Rhinos was postponed following the army side’s impasse with the league’s chiefs over their controversial age-limit restriction.
The Northern Region board had, after agreeing with the majority of the clubs in the 14-team league, resolved to bar players who are aged over 25 from playing in the Division.
But that did not go down well with such teams like Black Rhinos who have the bulk of their players, such as former Warriors midfielder Lazarus Muhoni, above that cut.
The Northern Region board has now resolved that each team will now field five Under-25 players in a match.
The board had proposed that all the teams should field nine Under-25 players in a match and only two over-aged players.
They, however, bowed to pressure Zifa who felt the matter had not been fully discussed before the Northern Region ‘rushed into making a resolution’.
That development has enabled Rhinos and fellow army side Commando Bullets to register their players.
Northern Region secretary-general Sweeney Mushonga said all the clubs were now free to add more players as the registration window had been extended to next week following the change in policy.
“We now expect teams to field more over-aged players. And this exercise will see clubs increasing their players to a squad of 30 from the 25 players which the clubs were supposed to register.
“Twelve clubs had registered in compliance to the said registration. So we don’t want to disturb those clubs.
“There has to be a balance. We have heeded Zifa’s call but we already have a situation so we have extended the registration period to next Wednesday allowing all clubs to register up to 30 players.
“Those who feel they would want to retain the players they had discarded can now register them and this to an extent should level the playing field,” said Mushonga.
Although Highfield may have bought a number of players with Premiership experience, they immediately loaned the likes of Marere, Ndlovu, Arubi, and Murape to top-flight teams like FC Platinum, Dynamos and Black Mambas.
On Sunday coach Mike Madzivanyika and his assistant Gift “Umbro” Muzadzi will get the first real test of how this campaign could pan out for them when they make the cross-town trip to Hellenic Sports Club.
While Highfield were inactive, Naison Muchekela’s La Liga were warming up to life in Division One with a 2-1 triumph over ZPC Kariba.
Another potentially explosive clash should be on at One Commando when former Premiership side Mwana Africa visit Commando Bullets.
Mwana Africa have roped in former Lancashire Steel gaffer Peter Sakonda as head coach and have vowed to make a return to the top-flight league.
“We are prepared for the match. Judging by the first week’s performance we have a good team. We will be cautious since it is our first away game.
“The team has a lot of youngsters we retained from last year and we just added a few senior players like Alisara Kondowe and former Douglas Warriors pair of Raphael Manuwire and Martin Mine.
“We will take each game as it comes and it still early to say much,” said Sakonda.
Mwana Africa were 3-1 winners over Flame Lily in their opening match courtesy of a Quality Kangadza brace and goal by Manuwire.
Newboys DC Academy will also start their maiden season with an away assignment when they travel to Karoi for a date against perennial campaigners Karoi United at Chikangwe.
Fixtures:
Northern Region:
Tomorrow: Commando Bullets v Mwana Africa (One Commando), Harare City v ZPC (Dzivaresekwa), DStv v Eiffel Flats (Old Hararians), Flame Lily v BACA (Manyame).
Sunday: Black Rhinos v Cossy Rules (One Commando), FC La Liga v Highfield (Hellenic), Karoi v DC Academy (Chikangwe).
Central Region:
Tomorrow: Chapungu v Blanket (Ascot), Shurugwi v TM Eagles (Peak), Lancashire v Mcinn (Baghdad), Tongogara v Tripple B (Mbizo), Gweru Pirates v Silo (Mkoba), FC Glow v Forbes (Torwood).
Sunday: Hardbody v Zimall (Ascot), Chrome v Ziscosteel (Chrome).