Online Reporter
Langton Nyakwenda
Zimpapers Sports Hub
THIS time, two years ago, they were just a mere Division One football club.
Today, Scottland will take their place, among the giants of African football, when the draw for the CAF Champions League is conducted in Cairo, Egypt.
The draw will be broadcast live on CAF TV at 1pm.
It’s a stunning transformation.
It’s exactly the journey which a star-studded Black Rhinos travelled, between 1983 and 1985, as they marched from Division One to the then CAF Cup of Club Champions.
It has taken exactly 41 years for another local club to repeat such a feat.
Ironically, it was at Rhinos where Scott Sakupwanya tried his luck as a goalkeeper only for him to quickly find out that there were better goalkeepers in the queue, battling for the number one spot.
Now, as a businessman, he has created his own club, and transformed it into one that can play in the CAF Champions League, inside just two-and-half years.
Under the competition regulations, the preliminary round draw uses seeded pots and geographical pairing to reduce early travel demands.
As a result, Scottland are expected to face opponents from Southern Africa or just beyond this region.
Potential opponents include Gaborone United (Botswana), Power Dynamos (Zambia), UD Songo (Mozambique), Nsingizini Hotspurs (Eswatini), Aiglons FC (Comoros), Lijabatho (Lesotho), Mighty Wanderers (Malawi) and Foresters (Seychelles).
Scottland are already guaranteed US$100,000 in prize money, even if they are eliminated in the preliminary round.
That is exactly the amount they took for winning the domestic Premiership last season.
The winners will receive US$6 million in prize money.
Scott says his mission is not only to win silverware but to change the face of the domestic Premiership.
That includes ensuring that some of our best players find it attractive, and rewarding, to keep playing in the local top-flight league.
It also includes wooing some decent footballers, from across the continent, to come and play in the Castle Lager Premiership.
The signs are that all these boxes are now being ticked, not only by Scottland, but by other clubs, including newboys Hardrock.
It’s something that former Warriors star, Edelbert Dinha, who runs an academy at his base in South Africa, has already noticed.
“There is massive change in our football back in Zimbabwe,” he said.
“I can see a stronger Zimbabwean league attracting players from across the globe, paying better salaries and developing a good structure,” he said.
The former CAPS United, Darryn T and Orlando Pirates star says Scottland have the potential to make a big impression in their maiden CAF Champions League campaign.
“In Scottland I see a team that is capable of building a strong squad that can compete in Africa,” Dinha told Zimpapers Sports Hub.
He watched Scottland’s Toyota Cup clash against Kaizer Chiefs at the Royal Bafokeng Stadium in Phokeng, South Africa, on July 26.
Although Scottland lost 0-1, Dinha was impressed by what he saw and believes the club have what it takes to raise Zimbabwe’s profile on the continental stage.
Scottland are among a new generation of ambitious clubs transforming Zimbabwean football.
This week, the Scotts launched a new clothing line, which includes branded tracksuits, suits and even shoes.
Hardrock and Simba Bhora have also established themselves as competitive forces in the Premier Soccer League.
Dinha left Zimbabwe nearly three decades ago to pursue a professional career in South Africa.
He retired from professional football in 2008, two years after representing Zimbabwe at the 2006 AFCON finals in Egypt.
Dinha’s optimism was echoed by Kaizer Chiefs coach Fernando Da Cruz, who praised Norman Mapeza’s side following the Toyota Cup encounter.
“Depending on the fixtures they get, I think they can go far. They are good tactically and physically,” said the Frenchman.
Scottland fielded several fringe players during the first half, when they conceded the only goal of the match. Mapeza described the match as ideal preparation for the CAF Champions League campaign, which begins during the weekend of September 4-6.
