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All set for Nakamba tournament

Sport
The two-day tournament, which will bring together some best local junior football talent in the country, is going to be staged at White City Stadium in Bulawayo on June 25-26.

BY Sports Reporter All is set for the inaugural Marvelous Nakamba Foundation (MNF) Invitational Under-17 tournament following the launch in Harare on Thursday.

The two-day tournament, which will bring together some best local junior football talent in the country, is going to be staged at White City Stadium in Bulawayo on June 25-26.

Highlanders, Dynamos, Njube Spurs, Hwange Dynamo, Albun Academy, Bulawayo City, Ajax Hot Spurs and Chicken Inn are set to take part in the historic tournament.

A beneficiary of a sound junior football development policy, Aston Villa midfielder Nakamba is sponsoring the tournament through his foundation.

The MNF, which is chaired by Nakamba’s father, Antony, also pays fees for over 1 000 school children across Zimbabwe.

“Grassroots football is very important for the survival of the game. We all came through the system and we benefited because we were afforded the chance at an early stage.

“Henceforth, it is befitting that we continue with the tradition of supporting grassroots sport,” said Nakamba, who was groomed at the famed Bantu Rovers Academy in Bulawayo.

Nakamba is a shining example of how a sound football development system can nurture future footballers.

After graduating from Bantu Academy, Nakamba moved to Nancy of France in 2012.

He impressed at Nancy and earned a contract with Netherlands’ topflight side Vitesse in 2014.

Nakamba spent three years at Vitesse and won the KNVB Beker Cup, which is the country’s FA Cup.

Belgium giants Club Brugge snapped the midfielder in 2017 and he went on to feature in the prestigious UEFA Champions League.

He signed for English Premier League side Aston Villa in 2019 and is now an integral part of Steven Gerrard’s squad.

Nakamba is the only Zimbabwean player to win major cups in two different European leagues.

He won the Belgian Cup with Club Brugge in 2016 and the KNVB Beker Cup with Dutch side Vitesse in 2017.

Nakamba’s presence at the MNF tournament is expected to inspire budding footballers who will battle for honours in the City of Kings next weekend.  Foreign scouts are also expected to grace the event.

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