THE second edition of the Emakhandeni Legends Top 8 football tournament was launched on Monday night at the Zifa offices in Bulawayo and will this year run under the theme Fighting Crime Through Football.
BY SAKHELENI NXUMALO
The tournament will be played this weekend.
Like last year, the Emakhandeni ground will be the venue for the tournament which is the brainchild of South Africa-based former footballers who grew up in Emakhandeni.
The tournament draw saw defending champions Bantu Rovers paired up against LMC, Chicken Inn will play Mpumelelo, last year’s losing finalists Highlanders clash with hosts Emakhandeni while Mpopoma-based Ajax Hotspurs and Talen Vision complete the quarter-final match ups.
Addressing representatives from the participating teams Zifa Bulawayo Province board chairman Washington Chimhanda said the tournament presents an opportunity for teams to size each other up before the start of the league programme.
“I would like to express my gratitude on behalf of Bulawayo province and I want to sincerely thank the legends for contributing immensely towards football development.
“We are privileged as Bulawayo to have people of your calibre who are passionate about football at a time when the economic situation in the country is harsh and I would like to urge the teams to complement this effort by conducting themselves in a professional manner,” Chimhanda said.
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A representative of the sponsors, Mthulisi Sibanda, ensured the Bulawayo province leadership that they would continue to bankroll the tourney and said their dream is to make it a national event.
“I would like to assure you that this partnership with the football association will be kept alive and we are willing to take it to another level.
“We will do our outmost best and I pray that each year when we come here we will be presenting bigger and better things,” Sibanda said.
