Sports
Okays Two Pre-season Tourneys
Gilbert Munetsi
T
here were two major highlights prior to
the beginning of the 2013 Premier Soccer
League, the first of which was hosted by
the Commander of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces,
Lieutenant General Phillip Valerio Sibanda, with
the support of the corporate world.
Played at Rufaro Stadium on March 3, the
Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA) Commander’s
Charity Shield featured the army team, Black
Rhinos, which reclaimed its place in the PSL at
the end of the 2012 season, and Caps United F.C.
Both teams were kitted by Ke Nako Media
through The Parade banner, and the company
also provided the shield and medals for all the
participating players and officials. Caps United
won the match by a 2-0 margin, courtesy of
goals from Ronald Pfumbidzai and Leonard
Fiyado.
Traditionally, the ZNA Commander has been
raising money for charity through such events
as the Charity Ball, golf and horse racing, and
said he had this year seen the need to consider
soccer as another feature on his fundraising
calendar for 2013.
“We decided that we were going to fill up the
space between January and May with something
new and after some bit of brainstorming, it was
agreed that we should try and launch an army
charities shield.
“This is the very first of such a tournament
and we are hoping that with the people’s,
support it’s going to grow bigger in the future
and it’s already promising from the sponsorship
we have got,” said Lt General Sibanda on the day
of the launch.
There are several charities that the army
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runs, and these
include Tsanga
Lodge which is
in the Eastern
Highlands
where
injured
members of the
army are taken
for rehabilitation.
Then there is
the ZNA Schools
Welfare
Trust,
the ZNA Patients’
Fund, the Army
Benevolent
Fund
and
the
Army
Widows
and
Orphans Fund.
A week later on March 9 and 10, the
sleepy town of Zvishavane was a hive
of activity with the convergence at
Mandava Stadium by four teams and
their legions of fans for the Net*One
Charity Shield. The participating teams
were FC Platinum, Chicken Inn, Caps
United and Monomotapa. Chicken Inn
lifted the shield after accounting for
Caps United 3-2 in a mouth-watering
final whose fixture had a full-house.
Net*One Managing Director, Reward
Kangai, did not hide his joy at the way
things went, telling the media:
“We are happy that this tournament
has been a success. A lot of supporters
braved the chilly weather to come and
watch this tournament. That shows
people really supported the tournament.”
TP
April 2013
Page 53