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Ray Bande in MUTARE
STAR-STUDDED Manicaland Juniors of Excellence (MAJESA) have warned their Marvelous Nakamba Foundation (MNF) Invitational Under-17 tournament Group A rivals that they can only underestimate the flamboyant Mutare outfit at their own peril when the inaugural edition of the football competition gets underway in Bulawayo this coming weekend.
MAJESA will battle it out in this historic junior football tournament in a tougher Group A together with their more experienced opponents that include Highlanders, Njube Spurs and Dynamos.
Chicken Inn, Bulawayo City, Ajax Hotspurs and Hwange are in Group B. MAJESA executive director, Charles Chave, said they have been waiting for this tournament for a long time and his academy is ready to showcase the depth in football talent abound in the Manicaland Province.
“There is no doubt that we have been waiting for this tournament for a long time now. We believe the wait was worth it because we managed to play a number of friendly matches in preparation for the MNF tournament. We managed to get the exposure and competition we wanted for us to compete favourably in this tournament.
“As an academy, we will be carrying the hopes of Manicaland as a province and we hope to do justice to that. We just want to show the world out there that the future Nakambas are here in Manicaland in their numbers.
Therefore, our opponents, experienced than us as they are, can only underestimate us at their own risk,” said the soft-spoken Chave. With Under-17 national team players that include captain Prosper Padera, goalkeeper Tafadzwa Magadu, Tashinga “Kabala’’ Taedza, Norest Mazemo and Keith Musengezi, much should surely be expected from MAJESA.
The city of Bulawayo is bracing for the inaugural Marvelous Nakamba MNF Under-17 invitational tournament following the launch of the football extravaganza at an exquisite function held in Harare last week.
The two-day tournament, which will bring together the best local junior football talent in the country, is going to be staged at White City Stadium on Saturday and Sunday.
A beneficiary of a sound junior football development policy, Aston Villa midfielder Nakamba is sponsoring the tournament through his foundation. The MNF, which is chaired by Nakamba’s father, Antony, also pays school fees for over 1 000 school children across Zimbabwe under its Education Assistance Plan (EAP).
“Grassroots football is very important for the survival of the game. We all came through the system and we benefited because we were afforded the chance at an early stage.
“Henceforth, it is befitting that we continue with the tradition of supporting grassroots sport,” said Nakamba in a recent interview. Nakamba, who was groomed at the famed Bantu Rovers Academy, and also passed through the nurturing at Highlanders, in
Bulawayo, is giving back to the community through the initiative.
The MNF believes in enriching children, hence the motto: “We believe every child can succeed.”
Nakamba himself is an example of how a sound football developmental system can nurture future footballers.
After graduating from Bantu Academy, Nakamba moved to Nancy of France in 2012.
He impressed at Nancy and earned a contract with Dutch top-flight side Vitesse in 2014.
Nakamba spent three years at Vitesse and won the KNVB Beker Cup, the equivalent of the English FA Cup.
Belgium giants Club Brugge snapped up the midfielder in 2017 and Nakamba went on to feature in the prestigious UEFA Champions League, where he attracted global attention.
He signed for English Premier League side Aston Villa in 2019 and is now an integral part of Steven Gerrard’s squad.
Nakamba is the only Zimbabwean player to win major Cups in two different European leagues.
He won the Belgian Cup with Club Brugge in 2016 and the KNVB Beker Cup with Dutch side Vitesse in 2017.
Nakamba’s presence at the MNF tournament is expected to inspire scores of budding footballers who will battle for honours in the City of Kings next weekend.
Foreign scouts are also expected to grace
Online Reporter