daniel chigunwe
Curtworth Masango
SOMETHING special is happening in Mabvuku.
The suburb, which gave us the likes of Brenna Msiska and the Mugeyi twins — Wilfred and William — is now punching above its weight in domestic football.
On Wednesday, a ground-breaking ceremony will be held at Mabvuku Stadium, which is set to undergo a massive facelift.
Scottland are leading the initiative.
A few weeks after Scottland were confirmed as champions in the ZIFA Northern Region championship race, securing a place in the domestic Premiership, another Mabvuku-based side, Ali Sundowns, were promoted into the Division One league.
Ali Sundowns, owned by banker Desmund “Dezola” Ali, edged Bakers Inn 5-4 in a penalty shootout at Harare Polytechnic on Saturday to confirm their place in the Northern Region Division One Soccer League next season.
The play-off game had ended in a 1-1 draw. Ali Sundowns’ coach, Richard Matimba, said:
“It was a tough match, Bakers Inn are a good team and our boys managed to contain the pressure.
“I am grateful for the support given by Mr Ali who always urged us to play good football and win our games and it was a big motivation for the team.”
Ali, who is eyeing a ZIFA board member post, said:
“It’s time to just celebrate what has just happened. We have been in football for quite some time, from juniors actually, Division 3 and Division 2, and now we are in the First Division.
“We really made an effort to be here. We started with a good pre-season and assembled a very good team, and good coaches.
“I don’t believe in this play-off format of promotion. You win in a 42-match league and then you have to play another game in 90 minutes to decide your fate.
“Harare has too many teams and we need to correct our structures.”
ZIFA Harare Province chairman, Robert Tembo, said:
“Ali Sundowns has the capability of making an impact in Division One. Teams that have qualified from our leagues have fared well in Division One and we hope the trend will continue with Ali Sundowns.”
Online Reporter