The ManicaPost
Ray Bande
Senior Reporter
MANICALAND has selected its best football players for both boys and girls who will compete with their colleagues from other parts of the country for slots on the final list of participants to do national duty at the Region Five Youth Games set for Lesotho.
The Games, which will see countries that include Zimbabwe, Zambia, South Africa, hosts Lesotho, Comoros, Angola, Botswana, Eswatini, Malawi and Seychelles participating, are set for December 3 to 12.
The selection, albeit at short notice resulting in those without passports losing out on an opportunity to represent their nation at the regional sports contest, saw players from different parts of the province converging at Sakubva Stadium last week on Saturday for the boys’ selection.
Girls converged at Nyamauru High School in Dangamvura.
Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) Manicaland chairman, Kuziwa Nyabeze said: “We held Under-17 trials for Manicaland. We had 32 players from different districts of the province who turned up for the trials. We are happy that we managed to do the job within the short space of time.
“The process was led by senior mentor, James Muhala, assisted by Panganai Mbaradza, Isaac Nengomasha, Nando Bandura, Hope Bere, Prince Tafirenyika and Ousten Mukaringe. The Sports and Recreation Commission was represented by its provincial officer, Shupikai Berejena.
“It came as an emergency process which required players that have valid passports. The issue of passports was not a provincial decision, but an instruction from above that also took into consideration the time left before the Region Five Games. We managed to get only 13 players across the whole of Manicaland who had passports.”
He added: “Ten players were selected from different clubs including Manicaland Juniors of Excellence Soccer Academy (MAJESA) Academy, La Sakubva, Sheckon Stars, Final Touch FC, Vengere Stars of Rusape and E-Rovers of Chipinge.”
Talent-laden MAJESA dominated the list of selected players after contributing half of the list from the south eastern province.
Some of the players who were selected to attend the national camp which will come up with the final list include Hillary Chanetsa of Mutare-based Faithdrive, Tafadzwa Magadu, Regan Mukwirapachena, Prosper Padera, Tashinga Tayedza and Shaunray Kylan Mandaza all from Majesa Academy, Lewis Matinye of Sheckon Stars which is also based in Mutare, Flexy Maunzeni of Vengere Stars from Rusape, Norman Saurombe of La Sakubva Academy and Wonderful Sithole of E-Rovers from Chipinge.
ZIFA made a late request to COSAFA to be included in the Region Five Youth Games in Maseru, Lesotho.
The soccer mother body had decided against sending the Under-17 boys’ and girls’ teams to the tournament for undisclosed reasons.
But following a public outcry, the association bowed down to pressure and applied to be included in the games.
In its response after ZIFA’s request, COSAFA said they would include the teams despite the request submitted after the deadline.
The statement read: “Although this request was received past the cut-off deadline for inclusion, COSAFA’s mandate in the Region Five Youth Games is to promote youth football and provide potentially life-changing opportunities to boys and girls from all our member countries.
“In this context, we feel it would be wrong to exclude Zimbabwe and deny their players the opportunity to compete on this grand stage.”
A new draw was held in the boys’ U-17 competition following the addition of Zimbabwe.
The statement continues: “Zimbabwe will be added to the girls’ competition as a fifth team in the single pool, and that will remain a round-robin format.
“But given that the boys’ tournament was to be played in two pools of five teams each, Zimbabwe’s entry required a re-draw. The format of the competition will now be three pools, two with four teams and one with three.”
