adminAugustine Hwata Senior Sports Reporter
THE CASTLE Lager Premier Soccer League insist that they will be able to roll out a programme which will accommodate all the remaining league and cup matches before the onset of the heavy rains. At present the championship race has completed 19 league matches but has been on enforced breaks mainly due to the national team commitments.
There will be no league matches this weekend as the Warriors complete their African Nations Championship qualifiers against Zambia in Ndola on Saturday.
League action will remain on the ice on the weekend of August 31 and September 1, because the league has rescheduled the BancABC Sup8r semi-finals for that period.
PSL chief executive, Kenny Ndebele, yesterday said the BancABC Sup8r semi-finals will remain at Barbourfields as previously planned.
“We will resume our official programme with the BancABC semi-finals on August 31st and September 1.
“The first match will be between Monomotapa and FC Platinum while Dynamos and Shabanie Mine will play the following day.
“We have not yet decided the venue but the final of the BancABC Sup8r will be staged on September 21,” said Ndebele.
While only four teams are still involved in the BancABC Sup8r, the other 12 clubs should have to find some activities to keep themselves in shape before Round 20 of the league fixtures.
“The other teams will not be playing any league games. We have an agreement that we should not hold any two sponsored events on the same dates,” said Ndebele.
But while the local league has challenges of having matches when the national team is playing, the Zambian Premiership will go ahead this weekend despite the Warriors playing Chipolopolo.
Ndebele said another challenge in staging league games comes in the clause stipulating that a club with more than two players with the national team can opt not to play their scheduled league match.
“We also have this issue that if a club has three or more players at national team, then they may not fulfil a match.
“Right now we have four clubs that are providing more than three players to the national team,” said Ndebele.
Defending league champions Dynamos provide Tawanda Muparati, Patson Jaure and Oscar Machapa while their city rivals CAPS United have Dominic Chungwa, Tafadzwa Dube and Hardlife Zvirekwi.
FC Platinum have the trio of Ali Sadiki, Charles Sibanda and Nelson Maziwisa with Chicken Inn providing Felix Chindungwe, Kuda Mahachi, Tendai Ndoro and Danny Phiri.
Bulawayo giants have goalkeeper Munyaradzi Diya, Bruce Kangwa, skipper Masimba Mambare, Milton Ncube and Peter Moyo.
“The other thing is that Black Mambas are unable to provide a team at the moment because most of their players are at the police games,” said Ndebele.
Black Mambas have provided the bulk of the players for the Zimbabwe Republic Police team to the SARPCCO Games underway in Namibia.
“However, we have worked out a plan and should be haking a smooth programme for the league and the cup matches.
“The Mbada Diamonds Cup is being considered and we will not be having any league matches on the weekend for the Mbada games.
“I am sure we should be able to complete our programme on course,” he said.
Ndebele said they will hold consultations with Zifa over the World Cup qualifier dead rubber against Mozambique and find out if they can squeeze in some league games on the same weekend.
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