adminGrace Chingoma Harare Bureau
THERE have been mixed feelings over the late staging of the NetOne Top Eight football tournament. Yesterday, our sister paper The Herald broke the story that another tournament is on the cards after the clubs received a memo from the PSL notifying them that a draw would be conducted this week. The quarter-finals will be played on the weekend of November 14-15 with the final pencilled for December 12.
FC Platinum coach Norman Mapeza says he feels the sponsors would have received more mileage if the tournament was staged earlier in the season. “It’s going to be taxing at the stage, some clubs are fighting relegation and some are in the championship race and it is difficult to focus on both.
“But as a season-opener it would have been interesting, even the supporters would be hungry for football and want to watch their new signings for the first time in action and I believe the mileage then would be better.
“The Chibuku Super Cup has come and gone and all the Cup excitement is gone. And by mid-December everyone will be busy preparing for the festive season and the attention will be divided.”
Harare City secretary-general Matthew Marara said the players could suffer from a long season.
“We are not even sure which criteria would be used to determine the teams that will play as the email was vague,” said Marara.
“We don’t know whether the teams which were in the top eight in the first half of the season or last year’s top eight teams will be the ones competing, we are not sure and was expecting to get an update from PSL.
“This Cup was supposed to have been staged in the first half of the season and then the Chibuku Super Cup in the second half like what happened last year.”
However, Marara said for Harare City, who will be competing in the Caf Confederation Cup, it could be a blessing in disguise.
“It can be an advantage for us to stretch the league to mid December but the point remains everything should be planned,” said Marara.
Dynamos team manager Richard Chihoro said after missing out on the Chibuku Super Cup, they welcome another opportunity to chase silverware.
“We want a Cup and if the opportunity is there we will grab it. We will make the best out of it. We are looking forward to the Cup and we are ready for it,” said Chihoro.
ZPC Kariba coach Sunday Chidzambwa said there was nothing wrong with having another knockout tournament.
“We will play football, we have no problem with that. The season usually starts in March so we will have half of December and the whole of January to rest before the season starts.
“A month to rest is okay and it is normally the off-season period,” said Chidzambwa.
Premier Soccer League chief executive Kenny Ndebele referred all the questions to NetOne spokesperson John Nyashanu who said he would only comment after discussing with his superiors.
Londile Moyo
Online Reporter