Online Reporter
Lovemore Dube, Deputy Sports Editor
THE Munhumutapa Challenge Cup draw will take part in Harare tomorrow with 32 teams set to go into the hat, Mike Madoda, the acting Zifa chief executive officer confirmed yesterday.
Ten provincial champions, four teams, one each from the regions and two from Area Zone leagues will join Premier Soccer League clubs.
It is expected that the bottom four will engage in a play-off with the two winners joining the other 14 Premier Soccer League clubs for the draw of 32.
Zifa yesterday sent a letter to affiliates inviting the teams to the draw which has excited the country as lower division clubs will get a chance to rub shoulders with the big guns.
The Munhumutapa Challenge Cup is now the Zifa Cup with winners set to represent Zimbabwe in the Confederation Cup tournament for the 2027/28 competition. It is the most lucrative tournament in the country sponsored to the tune of US$5 million annually for the next five years.
At its inception it was celebrated as it gave an opportunity to lower division teams a chance to play against each other and eventually rub shoulders with the big guns.
Mawabeni FC of Mzingwane District who are Bulawayo provincial champions after beating Extension Rollers of Tshabalala 4-2 on penalties last Thursday got a shot in the arm yesterday when Priv
Supermarket gave the whole team groceries and US$50 to celebrate the milestone achievement.
“We are happy to see our sponsors chip in and celebrate our milestone achievement. We are proud to represent Mzingwane District and Mawabeni Area.
“The boys have put our home on the map, people will google and find out where we come from. We have marketed brand Mzingwane and I hope wherever we are drawn to play, the fans that have been following us from the first match, will accompany their team. So many Zimbabweans will know our home area because of this special class of football boys,” said Mpumelelo “Mbesuma” Nkomazana, the Mawabeni FC director.
Mawabeni will be the second lower division team from Matabeleland South in the tournament.
Nottingham Estate 1-0 winners over Sibomvu side, New Eclipse 1-0 to book a date among the 32 teams.
Nkosilathi Ncube, the Zifa Matabeleland South boss is happy and hopeful that Nottingham Estate from
Beitbridge will give a good account of themselves regardless of who they have been drawn against.
Meanwhile Christel Dube walked tall with his young Gwayi Valley Cranes side on Thursday when they beat Beitbridge’s Sunday Real Soccer 2-1 to proceed to the Harare draw from the Area Zones.
They were the Southern Region champions of the amateur ranks while Sunday Real Soccer represented the Central Region Area Zone League led by Xolani Gwesela, the former Zifa chief executive officer.
