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NewsDay

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Four teams for Africa

Sport
Zifa has given the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League November 27 as the deadline to submit the four teams that will take part in the 2012 Confederation of African Football (Caf) Champions League and Confederation Cup. Caf confirmed yesterday that Zimbabwe will again have four slots for the two competitions after putting the nation in […]

Zifa has given the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League November 27 as the deadline to submit the four teams that will take part in the 2012 Confederation of African Football (Caf) Champions League and Confederation Cup.

Caf confirmed yesterday that Zimbabwe will again have four slots for the two competitions after putting the nation in the top 12 countries on the continent and the deadline for the registration of teams is November 30.

Participating clubs will then have two weeks to put their teams in place and complete the registration process by December 15 in time for the preliminary round matches which will begin in January.

CAF said the 12 countries with two entries each for the 2012 competitions are: Tunisia, Egypt, DR Congo, Nigeria, Sudan, Algeria, Morocco, Mali, Zimbabwe, Libya, Cameroon and Ivory Coast.

To this end, the league will end on November 20 with the cash rich Mbada Diamonds Cup final set for November 27-the deadline given to the PSL by the national association.

Kennedy Ndebele, the PSL chief executive officer, who met with his counterpart at Zifa Jonathan Mashingaidze last week, said: “We will meet the deadline; we will be done by then because Week 28 will be a midweek fixture, Week 29 will be played on November 13 and the last games on November 20.

“The Mbada Diamonds Cup final will be played on November 27 to close the season.” Mashingaidze said they needed to dispose of all information required by Caf before the November 30 deadline to avoid last year’s troubles.

Last season, Zifa registered Highlanders for the Confederation Cup without the club’s knowledge after the league failed to provide names of participants in time and the Bulawayo side was eventually banned for three years by Caf for pulling out.

Highlanders had finished the season in fourth place.

“We want to make sure that all is done by November 27 and that is the deadline we have given to the league and am quite sure they will meet it,” Mashingaidze said.

The top two teams will take part in the Champions League while Motor Action, by virtue of having won the BancABC Sup8r will play in the Confederation Cup with the winners of the Mbada Diamonds Cup.

In the event, Motor Action, who play Zimbabwe Saints in the semi-finals of the Mbada Diamonds Cup at Sakubva on Sunday, win the competition, the runners up might take up the slot or the third placed team in the league.

FC Platinum and Dynamos, who clash in the Mbada last four at Barbourfields this Sunday, could both be in Africa next season either via the cup, a second place or as league champions.

The platinum miners lead the standings with 52 points, three off Dynamos before the two clash in Week 29 at Mandava Stadium. Third placed and defending champions Motor Action and Hwange, who have always wanted to play in Africa, are dark horses in the title race.

“If there are complications, like when a team wins a treble or double, the PSL has come up with a formula and justify it before we register the teams,” Mashingaidze added.

Meanwhile, Zifa will this afternoon commission yet another committee, this time the constitutional review committee which has been given until November 26 to complete their task.

Members of the committee are Chicken Inn secretary general Tawengwa Hara, Tinoda Hove, Cosmas Mukwesha and Timothy Sangarwe while Mashingaidze will be an ex-officio member.

Week 28: Zimbabwe Saints v Black Mambas, Blue Ribbon Stars v Shooting Stars, Shabanie Mine v CAPS United, Gunners v Chicken Inn, Dynamos v Motor Action, Monomotapa United v Platinum, Masvingo v Highlanders, Hwange v Kiglon