Mighty Bulls to play in Confederation Cup

two teams as one of the 12 top teams in the regional competitions.
According to Caf regulations, only the Mighty Bulls qualify for the tournament.
The tournament is reserved for the team that wins the country’s major cup tournament and, in the case of Zimbabwe who have two slots, the team that finishes third in the Premiership race also benefits as the top two play in the Champions League.
Despite failing to win the major cup tournament after losing 1-0 to Dynamos in the Mbada Diamonds final on Sunday, Motor Action have secured the ticket after finishing third in the league race behind Dynamos and FC Platinum.
With Dynamos yesterday confirming that they will go for the Champions League, this means the Mighty Bulls will get the sole ticket and will benefit from the US$ 150 000 set aside by Mbada Diamonds for the team that takes part in the tournament.
Zimbabwe, Tunisia, Egypt, DR Congo, Nigeria, Sudan, Algeria, Morocco, Mali, Libya, Cameroon and Ivory Coast are the 12 countries with two entries each for the 2012 competitions.
But following Premiership champions Dynamos’ victory in the Mbada Diamonds Cup only one team is now eligible. Motor Action director Eric Rosen yesterday confirmed the Mighty Bulls will take the offer.
Caf regulations article 1.1 states: “The African Football Confederation shall organise a yearly competition called (The Confederation Cup), open to teams of CUP Winners Clubs of the Affiliated Associations.
The 12 countries obtaining the best results in the clubs competitions during the previous five years will be allowed to register the Cup Winner’s Club and the club classified third in the National League. If the Cup Winner’s Club is not engaged, the concerned country will be authorized to register only one club.
“1.7 If the champion club is not entered, Caf may accept the engagement of another club belonging to the concerned Association from amongst the first 3 of the national championship, upon application which shall be submitted in accordance with the provisions of the Rules of this Association and with the present Article.”
Premier Soccer League chief executive Kenny Ndebele yesterday confirmed that Zifa will register Motor Action for the Confederation Cup and Dynamos and FC Platinum for the Champions League. Dynamos took their decision at a meeting held in the capital yesterday and announced that they will hold a fund-raising dinner on December 15 to raise funds for their participation.
DeMbare had hinted that they might go for the Confederation Cup on the Mbada Diamonds Cup ticket if they fail to get a sponsor but secretary-general Nyika Chifamba confirmed they will take part in the Champions League.
“It was a difficult decision to take and it means a lot of sacrifices will have to be made to see us through. We did it for our supporters and the players who fought to get this ticket. We also felt that if we dropped out of the Champions League that would affect our ranking and in the end we might lose our two slots as a nation and other teams also suffer,” said Chifamba.