Zimbabwe’s representatives in the African club football safari, Dynamos, Motor Action, FC Platinum and Hwange, will have a chance to prepare for the campaigns when they meet in the second edition of the Bob 88 Super Cup this weekend.
The tournament gets underway at Sakubva Stadium in Mutare on Saturday with Motor Action taking on FC Platinum before defending champions Dynamos clash with Hwange at Barbourfields the next day.
While DeMbare and FC Platinum will be using the tournament to prepare for the Caf Champions League, Hwange and Motor Action will also use the tournament to fine-tune their preparations for the Caf Confederation Cup.
Dynamos have received a bye in the preliminary round of the Champions League while FC Platinum will meet Swazi side Green Mambas at the Trade Fair Stadium in Manzini on the weekend of February 17-19.
The Mighty Bulls play South African Premiership side Black Leopards away on the weekend of February 17-19 the same weekend Hwange lock horns with Jamhuri of Tanzania in the preliminary round of the Caf Confederation Cup.
Tournament co-ordinator Stan Kasukuwere said the prize money for the participating teams would be announced in due course but promised that all the teams would be rewarded for participating.
“We have not set the prize money yet, but all the participating teams will definitely be rewarded for taking part. The final for the tournament will take place at Rufaro Stadium on February 26 with the losing finalists expected to take part in a third and fourth place playoff which will act as a curtain-raiser for the final,” said Kasukuwere at a media briefing in the capital yesterday.
The Press briefing was attended by officials and players from the participating teams who were later presented branded kits.
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The inaugural edition of the tournament last year featured Harare giants Dynamos and Caps United with the former upstaging their city rivals 3-2.
Former Dynamos midfielder Archieford Gutu struck a brace while Denver Mukamba added the other goal to cancel out Caps’ goals from Evans Gwekwerere and goalkeeper Edmore Sibanda.
Kasukuwere said he was excited at staging a bigger and better Bob Super Cup this year.
“Last year we only picked two teams, Dynamos and Caps United, but this year we decided to reward the top-performing teams from last season which finished in the top four,” he said.
Chipangano are fresh from a South Africa Premiership excursion where they lost 1-0 to champions Orlando Pirates at the Rand Stadium on Saturday and held Platinum Stars to goalless draw in Rustenburg on Sunday in friendly matches.
They arrived back in the country on Monday afternoon and technical manager Tennant Chilumba was happy with the boys’ performance across the border.
“We played well in both games and the boys responded quite well, especially considering we were playing away from home. The new boys had good support from the old players and I think we now have a good team. I was happy that we did not concede more than one goal playing away, which is the trick.
“We are almost ready for the Confederation Cup. We are playing Dynamos this weekend and we will be away from home and we are going to use that game as part of preparations for the African safari. It will be the first game of the season and focus is to attack and we will be attacking from the first whistle,” Chilumba said.
The new boys at the coalminers include former Mwana Africa, Monomotapa and Blue Ribbon United midfielder Daniel Kamunhenga, ex-Zimbabwe Saints player Evans Rusike and Tawanda Mareya, who was at Shabanie Mine.
Farai Vimisayi, who was on loan to DeMbare, is also back at the coalminers.
