adminRicky Zililo and Jillian Shava Sports Reporters
THE Zimbabwe Soccer Coaches Association (Zisca) believes the Copa Coca-Cola Under-16 boys’ and Under-17 girls’ national finals are a platform for future stars and has encouraged clubs to send their scouts.
Oscar Mazhambe, Zisca secretary-general, said “serious” clubs will benefit from the annual grassroots football tournament aimed at identifying, nurturing and rewarding the best in young footballing talent.
Twenty-four teams from the country’s 10 provinces will battle it out in the boys’ and girls’ categories. “We always talk of junior development and our message as Zisca to clubs is that they must seize this Copa Coca-Cola tournament as an opportunity to identify players with a bright future. Instead of looking for finished products, clubs need to invest in these youngsters, develop their skills and then reap rewards later. There’s need for clubs to twin with schools so that even their coaches can monitor the progress of their players and train them,” said Mazhambe.
Prominent footballers that went on to make a living through soccer after the Copa Coca-Cola include Peter Ndlovu, Johannes Ngodzo, Mkhokheli Dube, Gilbert Banda, Mthulisi Maphosa, Ovidy Karuru, Washington Arubi, Harlington Shereni and Walter Musona.
In the 1990s, Mzilikazi High School established themselves as Bulawayo’s school of soccer excellence with the bulk of its students going on to play for Highlanders.
Mazhambe said his association has done well in training coaches as well as teachers so that they give proper guidance to school children.
He called on the Bulawayo community to attend the tournament as they are guaranteed of exciting football.
“You will be surprised to find that most of these schools in the Copa Coca-Cola finals are coached by qualified personnel. As Zisca, we’re happy that even schools have seen the importance of using qualified people so that youngsters capture correct basics at the grassroots. Because of training they get at schools, as well as their junior clubs, I’m certain the youngsters will exhibit some quality and entertaining performances,” Mazhambe said.
With Mzilikazi, winners of the inaugural edition in 1989 out of this year’s tournament, Mpopoma High carries Bulawayo’s hopes in the boys’ category.
The bulk of Mpopoma’s players turn out for Premiership title contenders Chicken Inn juniors, Bantu Rovers and Mpumelelo.
The Bulawayo champions will have to fend off defending champions Chemhanza High of Mashonaland East, How Mine Secondary and Tsholotsho High. In the girls’ category, defending champions Chidyamakono from Chivi in Masvingo return to the finals as favourites and should brace for stiff challenges from Matabeleland South’s Selonga Secondary, Sodbury Secondary and Bulawayo’s Magwegwe.
Meanwhile, it’s all systems go for the national finals after all schools were given the thumbs up at the vetting process conducted at Gifford High School yesterday. The two-hour players’ inspection process started at 3PM.
Most schools complied with Nash’s demands to produce Grade 7 result slips, birth certificates and squad pictures from zonal level aimed at combating age-cheating.
Harare boys champions Prince Edward High’s four players brought along passports and birth certificates, but no Grade 7 result slips.
After protracted deliberations, the headmasters, who were conducting the vetting process, allowed the unnamed quartet to participate in the games.
Albert Mucheka, Nash head-in-charge of football, said they will follow up on the irregularities discovered during inspection process. “We have a zero tolerance on age-cheating and there were slight irregularities experienced, but that will be sorted. We took the boys’ pictures and details of all those that we found irregularities on. Otherwise everything in the girls’ vetting went smoothly,” said Mucheka.
He added that the girls’ tournament has been spiced by the fact that the best players will represent Zimbabwe at the Confederations of Schools Sports Association of Southern Africa (Cossasa) later this year.
Copa Coca-Cola national final full draw:
Boys
Group A: Rujeko, Mpopoma, Mutare Boys
Group B: Prince Edward, Chemhanza, Nemakonde
Group C: Dewure, Guinea Fowl, Gifford
Group D: Tsholotsho, How Mine, Bernard Mizeki
Girls
Group A: Furamera, Selonga, Chidyamakono
Group B: Sodbury, Mwenezi, Seke 1
Group C: Zumba, Montrose, Dinyane
Group D: Saint Francis, Magwegwe, Nyamauru.
Online Reporter