admincountries for the Confederation of African Football’s inter-club tournaments.
The top 12 countries field two teams each in the Champions League and the Caf Confederation Cup. Despite a dismal 2011 campaign, Zimbabwe will still have four slots in next year’s tournaments. The privileged 12 countries with two entries each for the 2012 competitions are Tunisia, Egypt, DRC, Nigeria, Sudan, Algeria, Morocco, Mali, Zimbabwe, Libya, Cameroon and Cote d’Ivoire. Dynamos and
Motor Action were this year bundled out in the FIRST ROUND of the Champions League.
Despite taking a seemingly healthy first leg lead (4-1), Dynamos were booted out on the away goals rule by Algerian representatives MC Alger. Motor Action lost out to perennial campaigners ASEC Mimosas.
Zimbabwe did not have a representative in the Confederation Cup as Highlanders and CAPS United turned down the available tickets. This, however, did not affect the country’s ranking.
Now the team finishing fourth in this year’s Premiership race MIGHT earn a Caf Confederation Cup ticket. This will be a possibility if Motor Action eliminate Zimbabwe Saints from the Mbada Diamonds Cup and finish among the top three in the Premiership.
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Zimbabwe have been retained as one of the 12 seeded countries to provide two teams in each of the inter-club competitions for next year. And the current criteria has been that the top two teams in the Premiership will go for the Champions League while the cup winners and the team finishing third in the Premiership go for the Confederation Cup.
But once Zimbabwe Saints are eliminated from the Mbada Diamonds Cup, it means a fourth ticket for Zimbabwe will have to come from the Premiership and thus fourth place becomes key.
Hwange, Highlanders, Gunners and CAPS United are fighting for fourth place with three games to go. Hwange and Highlanders actually have a chance of finishing third if Motor Action slip up in their remaining matches.
As things stand, FC Platinum and Dynamos will be in the Champions League while Motor Action will be in the Confederation Cup. They happen to be the three of the four teams remaining in the Mbada Diamonds Cup.
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Scenarios
IF FC PLATINUM CLINCH THE DOUBLE
IF the Premiership newcomers clinch both the league title and the Mbada Diamonds trophy, they will earn two tickets into Africa.
But given that a club can only use one ticket, they will have to surrender the other one – the Confederation Cup.
League champions cannot abandon the Champions League for a lesser tournament.
In the event that Zimbabwe Saints shock Motor Action and reach the Mbada Diamonds final, they automatically take the Confederation Cup ticket by virtue of being losing finalists.
If Motor Action beat Zimbabwe Saints and lose the final to FC Platinum, they also get the Confederation Cup ticket.
But if they if they go on and finish among the top three in the Premiership (as things currently stand) then they will have to surrender the SECOND Confederation Cup ticket to a team finishing fourth in the Premiership.
IF ZIMBABWE SAINTS REACH MBADA FINAL
In the event that Division-One bound Zimbabwe Saints eliminate Motor Action and reach the Mbada Diamonds final then the hunt for a second Confederation Cup representative ends.
Zimbabwe Saints will automatically earn the ticket and also the financial assistance from Mbada Diamonds as the other finalist will either be FC Platinum or Dynamos who have been emphatic on their desire to be in next year’s Champions League (not Confederation Cup).
IF DYNAMOS WIN THE DOUBLE
If Dynamos beat FC Platinum in the Premiership race and also clinch the Mbada Diamonds Cup, they would have earned two tickets for Africa next year.
Dynamos believe they belong to the Champions League where the riches outweigh the assistance being offered to Confederation Cup winners by Mbada Diamonds.
However, the advantage is only realised when the team reaches the money-spinning mini-league phase.
So if Motor Action finish among the top three, it means Dynamos’ Confederation Cup ticket will have to be ceded to the team finishing fourth in the Premiership.
IF MOTOR ACTION WIN MBADA DIAMONDS CUP
Mathematically, Motor Action still have a chance of retaining the Premiership title but realistically the championship is beyond them now.
They now hope to complete a cup double by adding the Mbada Diamonds Cup to the BancABC trophy they won in August.
Winning the Mbada Cup guarantees them a ticket into the Confederation Cup plus financial assistance for participation.
If Motor Action win the Mbada Cup and then slip down the ladder in the Premiership race then the fourth ticket will go to the team that would eventually finish third.
Such is the interesting scenarios that any of Gunners, Hwange, Highlanders and CAPS United could yet bounce back to continental football.
Online Reporter