Online Reporter
Don Makanyanga-Zimpapers Sports Hub
ZIFA Mashonaland Central Region chairman Edward Mutukwa has welcomed Pacific’s sponsorship of an eight-team knock-out tournament, saying it will give grassroots football in the province a much-needed lift.
Mutukwa, who was part of the association’s delegation to the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations in Morocco, said Zimbabwe can learn from the North Africans’ heavy investment in junior football that has fuelled their recent international success.
The Moroccans have been a dominant force in the CAF Schools Under-15 for both boys and girls, CAF Under-17 and Under-20 competitions.
Morocco’s senior side — the Atlas Lions have also been the best-performing African team at the last two editions of the FIFA World Cup, reaching the semi-finals in 2022 and ending in the quarter-finals at the on-going global show-piece, which was co-hosted by Canada, Mexico, and the United States. Mutukwa took some notes during that Warriors sojourn to Morocco.The new ZIFA leadership is encouraging their members to be ingenuous and help grow the game in their respective affiliates, and Mashonaland Central are looking to play its part.
“If we are serious about taking Zimbabwean football to greater heights, we must invest where talent is first identified and nurtured,’’ Mutukwa said.
“Grassroots football is the engine room of the game and every successful football nation has built from that foundation”.
The former Black Rhinos chairman noted that junior and lower-tier leagues are the backbone of development, but have been underfunded for years.
He commended Pacific for coming on board in their first year of sponsorship.
“The coming on board of Pacific to sponsor this eight-team tournament is part of a broader vision to strengthen grassroots football in Mashonaland Central.
“Sustainable investment at the community level is the foundation upon which a strong football nation is built,” he said.
Mutukwa also urged other corporates to get involved, arguing that football development cannot depend on one sponsor.
