Dingilizwe Ntuli, Sports Editor
IN an interview with BBC Radio 5 live special on gambling addiction in sport in January 2015, former Arsenal, West Ham and Celtic star John Hartson said: “You’re very selfish as a gambler, very deceitful. Compulsive gamblers are compulsive liars -they’re very good at covering things up.”

One is tempted to describe Warriors’ hitman Knowledge Musona in the exact words of the former English Premier Soccer League striker, who is now battling testicular cancer.

Musona is a slippery attacker with five goals in nine games for his Belgian side KV Oostende. It, however, seems Musona was not only prolific on the field of play, but also off it with his alleged involvement with illegal gambling.

Gambling on matches in the league one plies his trade in is illegal in Belgium, but Musona was investigated for placing bets on matches that he was involved in.

The Belgian Gambling Commission has completed its investigations, but is yet to pronounce on the action to be taken against Musona and other players implicated in the scandal.

Betting in a game one is involved in means a player can underperform to avoid losing big money for the bet he would have placed. It’s all about winning as much money as possible in a brief period of time.

Now this is the same Musona who quit the Warriors in protest at what his legal representatives then termed sensationalised match-fixing allegations against him in 2012.

He attacked the unprofessional conduct of the then Zifa chief executive officer Jonathan Mashingaidze for going to the media, accusing him, Ovidy Karuru, Thomas Sweswe and Zhaimu Jambo of match-fixing before the Warriors’ Burundi Africa Cup of Nations match. The four players had been spotted at the offices of fired Zifa CEO Henrietta Rushwaya, who had been axed for alleged match fixing.

Musona demanded an unqualified apology from Zifa and the clearing of his name, which he insisted should receive the same publicity the allegations received, or he would reject national team call-ups.

Musona received a lot of public sympathy then and Mashingaidze was blasted for his “recklessness,” but the former Zifa CEO probably feels “vindicated” wherever he is. Could that have been Musona being “good at covering things up” by using lawyers that most locals cannot afford?
Wherever Mashingaidze is, he’s probably telling those he’s still in contact with that “I told you see”, and who can blame him?

Some former officials and players were implicated in the recent match-fixing scandal, but only Rushwaya, former Zifa board member Edzai Kasinauyo, former national team coach and assistant coach Ian Gorowa and Nation Dube were crucified.

Now the investigation of Musona in Belgian leaves one with a feeling that this has the probability of opening a can of worms in the Warriors’ set-up.

Why, because Musona is no ordinary Warriors’ player. He wields a lot of influence among his teammates and commands a lot of respect from the technical staff and Zifa management.

The question is did Musona’s alleged betting habit only start at KV Oostende in Belgium and did not extend to Warriors’ games? We will never know as long as there remains no proper and thorough investigation into the match-fixing scandal that rocked our football this year. Cherry-picking a few people to crucify now seems to have been an attempt to contain the scandal and prevent it from exploding in its entirety.

If Musona can place bets for a club that pays his monthly wages, then surely it would not be a problem to do the same with the national team that plays once in a while.

@dilizwe

Bayern Munich FC players

After three consecutive semifinal defeats against Spanish clubs in the Champions League, Bayern Munich head to Atletico Madrid for Wednesday’s group match with a point to prove.

“We want to show that we can do better than in the last few semifinals. We certainly have a score to settle there,” said Bayern forward Thomas Mueller before the team jetted off to Madrid.

After the highs of beating Borussia Dortmund in the 2013 Champions League final came Bayern’s lows of semifinal exits to Real Madrid, Barcelona and then Atletico in each of the last three seasons under Pep Guardiola.

Atletico have won 25 of their last 30 home European games making the Estadio Vicente Calderon something of a cauldron.

Last season’s semifinal exit at the hands of Diego Simeone’s Atletico was particularly painful for Bayern, who won the return leg 2-1 in Munich after losing 1-0 in Madrid as the Spanish side reached the final on away goals.

“In the last three years, we played three times against Spanish teams and always lost there,” said Bayern chairman Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
“We saw how strong Atletico are last season and you can’t get much more of a tougher test.

“Now we have the chance to show with Carlo (Ancelotti) that we can get at least a point there – or even three.”

After Guardiola failed to steer Bayern to the Champions League final, his successor Ancelotti is the Bavarian giants’ not-so-secret weapon.

Two years ago, Ancelotti’s Real Madrid won the 2014 Champions League final with a 4-1 extra-time win over Atletico.

“I really like Madrid and I’m looking forward to going back, I had two wonderful years there,” said Ancelotti.

Sightseeing will be the last thing on the Italian’s programme, with Ancelotti more concerned about French forward Antoine Griezmann, whose goals knocked Bayern out of Europe last May.

“He could play at any big club in Europe,” said Ancelotti. Bayern smashed Russian side Rostov 5-0 in Munich in their opening Group D match, the same night Atletico won 1-0 at PSV Eindhoven.

But the German team’s players know they will be in for a much sterner challenge on Wednesday.

“It will be a difficult fight in Madrid and we have to at least get a few goals,” said Bayern captain Philipp Lahm.

Bayern defender Mats Hummels, who trained on Monday after limping out of Saturday’s 1-0 win at Hamburg with a knee injury, says the Bundesliga leaders have a “pretty tricky task against one of the top favourites to win the Champions League”.

Fixtures
(All games at 20:24)

Wednesday 28 September 2016
Ludogorets Razgrad v Paris Saint-Germain, Arsenal v FC Basel, Borussia Mönchengladbach v Barcelona, Besiktas v Dynamo Kyiv, Atlético de Madrid v FC Bayern München, Napoli v Benfica, FC Rostov v PSV, Celtic v Manchester City. – AFP

Byo Bomber fighting van Zyl

Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
SOUTH African-based Zimbabwean cage fighter Elvis Moyo is out for revenge in next month’s Extreme Fighting Championship (EFC) heavyweight title fight with Andrew van Zyl.

Moyo, whose ring name is “The Bulawayo Bomber”, was initially billed to trade leather with champion Danie van Heerden, who was, however, stripped of his title a few weeks ago for likening Moyo to an ape.

Moyo and van Heerden’s fight had been dubbed “The biggest stand-up battle in EFC history”, but he will now face van Zyl on October 15 at Sun City in Rustenburg, South Africa.

This will be Moyo’s second career fight against van Zyl, who beat him in July 2014, forcing the Zimbabwean into submission with an arm-bar.

“I’m ready for van Zyl and as much as I wanted to take the title away from Danie in the ring, now I just have to focus on the new opponent. I’m not afraid of him and over the years I’ve grown into a complete cage fighter since that 2014 defeat. I can’t let this opportunity pass as I’ve worked hard to earn an opportunity to fight for the title,” said Moyo.

The Bulawayo-born cage fighter has seven career wins from 10 cage fights.

Moyo’s victories in EFC Africa were against Sors “Guru” Grobbelaar in his debut cage fight in March 2014, Wilhelm “Tiny” Strauss in August and Didier-Kilola in November of the same year. He also beat Lance Cerenio last year in February and also handed Vandam Mbuyi a defeat in December.

The Bulawayo Bomber exploded on Ricky Misholas in June and August this year before he beat Japanese mixed martial arts veteran Kiyoshi Tamura in the fourth round in a fight staged in Tokyo.

The Bulawayo Bomber lost twice in 2014 to Brendon Groenwald and van Zyl. His third loss was last year in June when he was knocked out by Poland’s Tomasz “Kredka” Kowalkowski after just 37 seconds.

Moyo should be wary of his opponent who has 13 career wins from 16 fights, eight of which were by knockout.

“Like I said, I’ve mastered the art of cage fighting and my ground work which used to be a big challenge for me has vastly improved. He is facing a complete fighter and he won’t stop me from getting that title,” said Moyo.

@ZililoR

Knowledge Musona

Ricky Zililo, Senior Sports Reporter
BELGIUM-based Warriors’ darling, Knowledge Musona, has hogged the headlines for the wrong reasons after being implicated in a gambling scandal that has attracted Zimbabwean soccer fans’ interests.

Reports allege that he made bets on matches involving his team KV Oostende.

Although details of the betting scandal are sketchy, the Warriors’ frontman, who has scored five goals in nine matches for his club.

Belgian website Sporza.be said Musona was investigated together with Olivier Deschacht and Waasland-Beveren goalkeeper Laurent Henkinet by the Gambling Commission in connection with match gambling.

The reports say the investigations have been concluded and the players were found to have gambled on matches involving their clubs.

“The ProLeague confirmed that ‘four or five players’ were mentioned in the investigation of the committee and now there are two names to fill in Ostend striker Knowledge Musona and Waasland-Beveren goalkeeper Laurent Henkinet. The prosecutor questioned the two men and completed its investigation. The conclusion is that the two indeed have gambled on games of their own team. It is now up to the Gambling Commission to decide whether the two (will be) fined,” reads the report on the Sporza.be website.

Questions are now being asked as to whether Musona’s conduct isn’t tantamount to match-fixing, a cancer that threatens Zimbabwean football.

Fans took to social media to express their concerns over the player’s conduct, with some questioning if he had not done similar actions in matches involving the senior national team.

“For ethical and to a larger extent, professional reasons, footballers are not permitted to gamble in matches where they are participants. In 2012, Knowledge Musona was allegedly seen at the offices of Henritta Rushwaya, who was banned for match-fixing activities. It surely comes as no surprise that Musona’s name woke up to some thunderous international headlines which borders on match-fixing margins. Hopefully he didn’t bet in any of our national team games and hopefully the Wicknell Chivayo relationship is a squeaky clean affair,” said Faith Silandulo Dube.

Save Mawarire wrote: “One can’t bet in a scenario where he has the capabilities to influence the outcome. There is a potential conflict of interest and it borders on criminality. In financial markets they call this ‘insider trading’. It’s basically the art of taking a view on the outcome/price of a financial instrument when you have the privilege of information which other players in the same market do not have. It is completely criminal and unethical. Imagine what goes in the mind of a keeper who has played BTS (both teams to score) and his team leading 3-0 with five minutes to go and he has potential to rake in $1 million if the opponent scores?”

A reader by the name Manyika wrote: “Gambling in a match in which you are a participant is not far from match-fixing. Knowledge should learn from the fate of his compatriot Bruce Grobbelaar, who is a sort of a pariah at Liverpool where his legendary status has come under question. It seems no team wants the Jungleman in its football structures and television stations do not fancy him as a pundit despite all the stellar success he achieved during his playing days. I am sure the money he could have earned as a former footballer exceeds whatever he illegally earned from his misdemeanours (he actually lost most of his fortune in legal battles in a vain bid to defend his legacy and reputation). Sometimes I do not understand why guys who seem to have it all recklessly throw it away.”

Musona could face a fine for his conduct like former Manchester City defender Martín Demichelis, who escaped with a ban after accepting a betting-related charge and was fined £22 058 before receiving a warning from the English Football Association.

Demichelis placed 29 bets on football matches between January 22 and February 15 this year, but the offences did not relate to any matches over which the Argentine defender could have had an influence, leading to a lenient punishment.

In 2013, ex-Tottenham winger Andros Townsend was slapped with a four-month ban, three of which were suspended, and fined £18 000 after breaking betting rules.

In the same year, striker Cameron Jerome, then of Stoke City, was fined £50 000 after admitting repeatedly breaching the regulations, while former Newcastle United midfielder Dan Gosling was fined £30 000 in 2014.

Last month Norwich City striker Kyle Lafferty was fined £23 000 and warned about his future conduct after he too was caught betting on games.

@ZililoR

Kenny Mubaiwa

Grace Chingoma, Harare Bureau
A FRESH crisis has emerged at Dynamos with club president Kenny Mubaiwa taking a back seat in the running of the team after his decision to fire assistant coach Murape Murape was overturned by the board of directors.

The Harare businessman hasn’t been attending the club’s matches, of late, and yesterday sources said he had taken a back seat in the administration of the Glamour Boys.

The club’s leadership is already a truncated one following the departure of secretary-general Webster Chikengezha who quit in May and is yet to be replaced.

Chikengezha said the turmoil at the club was corroding his image.

“As it stands, going forward there is a problem at the club,” the sources said.

“The president is no longer exercising his powers and at the moment he is not making any decision regarding Lloyd Mutasa’s future and neither is he involving himself in discussions related to any plans for next season.

“He is not happy that his authority was challenged last week.”

Board member Owen Chandamale said he could not comment on the issues as board chairman, Bernard Marriot, was the only one authorised to speak to the media.

Repeated efforts to speak to Marriot or Mubaiwa were fruitless yesterday.

Club treasurer Webster Marechera said he was attending a funeral in Nyanga and referred all questions to Marriot.

Dynamos will not be in action this weekend when the last eight teams plunge into Chibuku Super Cup quarter-finals after they were booted out by How Mine in the first round.

Karen Dhliwayo, Chibuku brand manager, and Elisha Mandireva, the PSL competitions manager conduct the draw in Gweru yesterday 

Sikhumbuzo Moyo in Gweru
THERE was huge relief when Highlanders FC were kept apart from FC Platinum and instead paired with Bulawayo neighbours How Mine in the quarter-finals of the Chibuku Super Cup at yesterday’s draw held in Gweru.

League leaders FC Platinum will face Triangle United at Gibbo Stadium in the Lowveld while defending champions Harare City take on ZPC Kariba at Nyamhunga Stadium. Ngezi Platinum Stars host strugglers Tsholotsho and all matches will be played this weekend.

“There was that excitement that we will be drawn against FC Platinum, but look any opponent at this stage is worthy. However, we would have been happier to meet FC Platinum because they play an exciting brand of football just like us,” said Highlanders secretary-general Emmett Ndlovu.

He said they would do everything possible to win the cup, although they respect How Mine who were not represented at yesterday’s draw.

The Bulawayo derby will be a repeat of last year’s encounter in which How Mine bundled out Bosso in the first round after a penalty shootout.

Bosso will be seeking revenge for that first-round knockout which they lost 3-4 on penalties after the two sides were deadlocked 1-1 after regulation time.

How Mine’s Devon Chafa, Timothy Sithole, Heritein Masuku and veteran Mernard Mupera converted their spot kicks, while Wonder Sithole missed.

Highlanders’ spot kicks were scored by Obidiah Tarumbwa, Nqobizitha Masuku and King Nadolo. Tendai Ngulube and Thembinkosi Simango failed to convert their efforts.

To reach the quarter-finals, Highlanders edged a battling Mutare City Rovers 2-1, while How Mine performed a giant killing act to eject Dynamos 5-4 on penalties following a gruelling goalless stalemate in normal time.

FC Platinum spokesperson Chido Chizondo felt the draw was fair. “To us, everyone and anyone would have been a fair opponent. We hope to go all the way to the final because if we are to get a double, it will be a bonus,” he said.

Harare City vice chairman Chris Mbanga said: “We are ready for our opponents. ZPC Kariba have not posed a threat to us and we are comfortable playing them. We want to defend our gold and get another dance in Africa.”

Tsholotsho chairman Mlamuli Phiri said they want to atone for their poor league showing by lifting the Chibuku Super Cup.

“They (Ngezi) beat us at home in the league and perhaps it’s now time for revenge. We hope to progress to the next stage and even go on to win the cup and represent Zimbabwe in the Caf Confederation Cup next year,” said Phiri.

Chibuku Super Cup brand manager Karen Dhliwayo wished all the eight teams luck in their games. “Some were slain in the first-round, but I want to wish you all the best,” said Dhliwayo.

Chibuku Super Cup quarter-finals draw

How Mine v Highlanders, Triangle United v FC Platinum, ZPC Kariba v Harare City, Ngezi Platinum Stars v Tsholotsho.

@skhumoyo2000

Sports Reporter
THE Zimbabwe women’s Under-20 handball team hoisted the country’s flag high when they beat Malawi 26-15 in a third-place play-off match to win a bronze medal at the bi-annual International Handball Federation Zone VI tournament which ended in Johannesburg, South Africa, yesterday.

After the men’s team had crashed out of the tournament in the group stages of the competition, all the burden to win a medal at the games was laid on the girl child.

But with the team losing to Zambia in the semi-finals, there was a real danger that the country would leave South Africa empty-handed.

However, the Clemence Tauro-coached side turned on the power to dismantle Malawi who had managed to absorb much of the heat during the early stages of the game with captain Melissa Makuwe top scoring for Zimbabwe with eight goals while Christabel Mazharira, who bossed around the court, made sure her team always had an upper hand.

But it was goalkeeper Sikhulekile Ncube who played a blinder thwarting the Malawians who always threatened with their deadly pivot Lyness Chilenga leading with a foray of attacks on the Zimbabwean goal area.

The Zimbabwe women’s team’s assistant coach Cleopatra Mareverwa saluted her side’s fighting spirit and said with some better preparations they could have done even better.

“The players gave a good account of themselves, they played to instructions.

“They have made us proud. Malawi were definitely one of the best teams at the tournament and only a good team would beat them.

“The match was so tough but I am happy the players rose to the occasion. They played as a team and that is what you get when you coordinate well on the court,” said Mareverwa.

The Zimbabweans had progressed from a tough group which had South Africa, Botswana and Mozambique as runners-up to the latter.

They, however, found the going tough in the semi-finals where they fell to Zambia.

Handball National Development Officer, Daniel Mtandwa, said the teams played well and they will try to better their performance in the next edition of the games to be played in a yet-to-be announced venue.

“I think both teams played well. The men’s team were unlucky to be thrown in a group which comprised heavyweights Zambia and Mozambique.

“The women’s team have obviously done us proud by winning a bronze medal. With some better preparations I think we could have done better,” said Mtandwa.

Two Zimbabwean referees, Bekezela Ncube and Tinotenda Machakaire presided over the men’s finals which pitted eventual winners Mozambique against Zambia.

A total of eight teams from across the region participated at the tournament and they are Zambia, Lesotho, Swaziland, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Malawi, Botswana and the hosts South Africa.

Mozambique won gold in both the men’s and women’s categories dumping silver for Zambia in both instances.

Allen Khumalo, Sports Reporter
BULAWAYO Amateur Boxing Association (Baba) will hold a boxing extravaganza featuring teams from around the country at Mathonisa Beer Garden in Mpopoma on Saturday.

Boxers from Bulawayo’s eight clubs Nketa, Nkulumane, Tshaka, Lobengula, Luveve’s Percy, HQ One Brigade, Sikhulile and Bulawayo West will battle it out in different weight divisions with pugilists from other parts of the country.

According to Baba spokesperson Arvian Mathe, Imbizo High School on the outskirts of the city, Great Zimbabwe University, Harare, Victoria Falls Academy, Gwanda and Team Zimbabwe will converge at Mathonisa for the event.

“We hope our fans will continue to show support by coming in numbers since we have held a number of competitions in the area,” Mathe said.

He also said the tournament is aimed at developing boxing in the country and would be a great opportunity for Team Zimbabwe to prepare for the African Union Sports Council Region Five Games to be held in Angola later this year.

“The tournament is meant to keep local boxers fit. Team Zimbabwe will take this opportunity to prepare for the Region Five Games since there is no mother body to help them prepare.

“As Baba, we decided to give them an opportunity to keep fit and prepare for the regional games.”

The proprietor of Mathonisa Beer Garden, Nobuhle Dube, said she made the venue available for free in addition to a nominal fee paid to Baba to assist in staging the event.

“This is the third time in 2016 that we will be hosting boxing bouts.

‘‘It’s a small contribution towards promoting the sport in Bulawayo,” said Dube

@khumzallen.

Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
THE Zimbabwe National Army continues with its fundraising efforts with a golf tournament set for the Bulawayo Country Club on Saturday.

A field of more than 100 amateur golfers, which is likely to include senior army commanders, will take to the greens in a bid to raise funds for the five charities the army runs.

“We expect to conduct the draw today at the Bakers Inn offices as you know they have been our partners over the years now,” said chairperson of the ZNA Charities Lieutenant Colonel Fabion Chitungo.

The tournament will use a Four Ball Better Ball format.

In this format, golfers tee off in groups of four (either as one four-person team or as two, two-person teams), and each golfer plays his own ball.

So there are four balls in play on each hole, but only one ball (the better ball, or low ball) counts per team per hole.

If four-person teams are in use, then all four golfers tee off and play their own balls into the hole.

The low score among the four counts as the team score for that hole.

If two-person teams are in use, then Team One and Team Two tee off together (so four balls are still in play), and each team’s low ball counts as that team’s score on each hole.

With two-person teams, 4BBB can be played as stroke play or match play.

The ZNA charities are Tsanga Lodge Convalescent Centre in Nyanga for the rehabilitation of injured soldiers, the Benevolence Fund for the welfare of troops on internal, external and international operations, ZNA Schools Welfare Trust which has a total of 12 primary and five secondary schools as well as the Widows and Orphans Fund that takes care of widows of soldiers before they receive terminal benefits.

Besides the golf tournament, the army also runs a football tournament as well as a horse racing event as part of its fundraising activities.

Highlanders retained the football trophy after beating Harare City 4-2 on penalties in which young goalkeeper Prosper Matutu put on a five-star performance that was capped by two spot kick saves.

Carlos Tevez

Boca Juniors striker Carlos Tevez has admitted that he is considering retirement at the end of the season.

Tevez, 32, had been pondering retirement from the game after Boca Juniors were ousted from the Copa Libertadores semifinals by Independiente del Valle this past summer, but had since decided to continue playing for the club.

Now he has said the Argentina league is a disaster and that he is considering giving up the game.

“This is tiring,” he told Ole on Tuesday. “I will be talking with my family and with the people I need to talk to. Yes, I would consider retirement, but I would like to play for the rest of my life with this club. Coming into the Bombonera on Sundays is what makes me happy.”

As Boca prepared to face Lanus on Wednesday in the second round of the Copa Argentina, Tevez complained that his three-match ban was unfair and blamed the media.

“I think the penalty was given to me by journalists and not the committee,” he told reporters. “The journalists pushed to give me three matches, it really just should have been a slap on the wrist.

“So maybe it is good, maybe bad. But we saw in the next weekend that the referee was not consistent and that really bothered me.”

Tevez also blamed the league and team owners for being inconsistent with the scheduling.

“The organisation is terrible. In Europe you know on what date you’ll play each team for the first six months. Here you can’t plan anything,” he said.

Tevez also said that he hasn’t performed well enough with Boca to deserve  a recall from Edgardo Bauza on the Argentina team.

“What one does in one’s club is what determines whether one gets called up for the national team,” Tevez said.

“I hadn’t been playing well until the first minutes against Belgrano.”

The former Juventus forward said he felt Inter’s Mauro Icardi was a good choice because “he has earned it, he has been scoring goals at Inter.

“At the end of the day the decision is up to the coach. Bauza isn’t under pressure to pick one or the other.

“Rather he must call up the one who is the best.

“I don’t think I deserve to be there because I hadn’t been playing well and I didn’t know whether I would have to leave the team or not (due to three-match ban).”

In his career, Tevez has also played for three Premier League clubs, West Ham, Manchester United and Manchester City, where he scored a total of 84 goals in 202 games. — Online

Omega Sibanda

Takudzwa Chitsiga, Harare Bureau
ZIFA vice-president Omega Sibanda has vowed to deal ruthlessly with the wayward players who attacked match officials in the Southern and Northern Region Division One matches at the weekend.

Amagagasi player Lethukuthula Mathe was caught on camera assaulting a referee in Victoria Falls.

Mathe has since been banned from the game for attacking referee Bekezela Makeka.

“It is very sad that in just one weekend, we had incidents of violent attacks on match officials in Victoria falls, Hwange, and Harare. We cannot afford to let this dent the image of the game and we don’t want to lose lives because of some hooligans.

‘‘Players should desist from taking the law into their hands, if a player wants to be a referee he should attend the necessary courses and if one wants to be a fighter he is free to join the likes of Charles Manyuchi in the boxing ring and not at football matches.

“The Zifa structures will descend heavily on the perpetrators of violence and I also hope the referees have made police reports on the cases,’’ Sibanda said.

The Southern Region will this week stage only two matches amid revelations that many of the teams have not yet paid affiliation fees 24 weeks into the season.

The clubs have also not paid the match day fees for this weekend.

This has forced the region to put on hold all games except those for Casmyn against Talen Vision and former Premiership side Bantu Rovers who will take on Indlovu Iyanyathela.

Meanwhile, Yadah FC are back on top of the Zifa Eastern Region Division log after they were awarded three points from their abandoned match against Tenax at Sakubva.

The match was abandoned after the referee”s decision to award Yadah a penalty provoked chaos.

Northern Region Fixtures

Shamva v ZRP Morris (Shamva), Darwin v United Cranebone Bullets (Pfura), Commando Bullets v Chegutu Pirates (Commando), Banket United v Kariba Waves (Kuwadzana), Golden Valley v Blue Swallows (Rimuka), Black Rhinos v Gunners (Commando), ZRP FC v Mushowani Stars (Morris), Herentals v Flame Lily (NSS B Arena), Karoi United DStv Rangers (Chikangwe).

Central Region Fixtures

Saturday: Whawha v FC Platinum U-19 (Whawha), MSU v Ivan Hoe Mine (MSU), Vumbachikwe v ZPC Munyati (Vumbachikwe) Jessie Mine v Tongogara (Wilson Fields), Kwekwe Sables v Shabanie Mine (Mbizo).

Sunday: Blanket v ZRP Beitbridge (Blanket), Gweru United v ZRP Gwanda (Wilson Fields), Chrome Stars v Nichrut (Chrome).

Eastern Region Fixtures

Africa Trust v Melfort (James Mwonzora), Buffaloes v Yadah (Sakubva), Chibi United v Gutu (Mucheke), Mupandawana v Calvary (Paradise), Surrey v Black Eagles (Surrey), FC Mutoko v Masvingo City (Chikondomana), Tenax v Renco Mine (Sakubva), Prime Rangers v Mwenezana (Ruwa).

Sports and Recreation Commission acting director general Joseph Muchechetere

Ellina Mhlanga, Harare Bureau
SPORTS Commission acting director-general, Joseph Muchechetere is optimistic that their joint meeting with Zifa and Women Football stakeholders will yield an end to the problems hounding the female game.

The indaba, which takes place at the Commission’s offices at the National Sports Stadium, is meant to address several issues affecting women football in the country including divisions that have seen some clubs running their own league.

There have also been calls for Zifa to set up a proper league structure for women football. It is the second attempt that the Commission and Zifa are trying to hold the meeting after the initial indaba scheduled for last week at the same venue was moved ostensibly to allow more stakeholders.

The meeting had been pencilled for last Thursday before it was moved to today to allow other stakeholders from outside Harare to attend.

Muchechetere said all interested stakeholders are welcome at the meeting to map the way forward for the benefit of women football.

“Zifa has already invited stakeholders from women football and that means the national stakeholders, provincials and district members of Zifa have been invited.

“Those interested but are not part of Zifa members are invited. We have invited direct stakeholders ZTISU, NAPH and NASH and other stakeholders who have got interest in women football.

“We are determined that the meeting will identify all the issues and the suggestions or recommendations on how women football should be organised in the country. So the purpose of the meeting is to flag out the issues and come up with recommendations,” said Muchechetere.

Muchechetere said the resolutions would then be presented to Zifa with an expectation that the football mother body will deal with the issues that would have been raised today.

“The resolutions are going to be given to Zifa to sit through its system and deal with the issues. The SRC and Ministry of Sport and Recreation are only coming in as an intervention, to bring all stakeholders together.

“We feel there are more individual stakeholders who have got interest in the development of women football hence the interventions of SRC and Ministry of Sport and Recreation. Zifa itself, in particular in women football structures, there are already some camps.

“So it’s like coming in to assist Zifa to deal with these issues so that we have one strategy of implementing women football.

“We are coming in to support Zifa, the country should be able to support Zifa to develop women football and that is our job as the big stakeholders.

Us as SRC and the Ministry of Sport and Recreation we thought this is the right time to intervene. At the same time Zifa approached us, they needed our support,” said Muchechetere.

Interim women football committee chairperson, Elizabeth Langa said they are hoping for sanity to prevail in women football for the benefit of the players.

“We want sanity, we want to be united and let the game be played. This is affecting the players. If only people could unite for the sake of the girl child, the players.

“The players are committed to the sport but we need to be organised as the administrators. So my wish is to bring to sanity to football. We have to agree one way or the other for the benefit of the players,” said Langa.

The meeting comes at a time when Zifa have just suspended women football board member Cecilia Gambe for bringing the game of football into disrepute following her pitch invasion during a Castle Lager Premiership tie at Sakubva.

Gambe invaded the pitch in protest of what she considered unfair officiating by referee Brighton Chimene, who was handling a game involving Mutare City. She is expected to face the disciplinary committee on a date to be announced.

Zifa last week also announced plans to drop criminal charges against former women football boss Miriam Sibanda and her two executive committee members – Benny Mamoche and Edwin Magosvongwe.

The move has however, since been put on hold by the magistrates court which directed that Zifa president, Philip Chiyangwa who is away in Egypt on CAF business, would have to come in person to court if he wishes to withdraw charges against the trio.

Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE will most certainly meet the giants of African football when the draw for the 2017 Total African Cup of Nations finals is conducted in Libreville, Gabon, next month.

Holders Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, World Cup quarter-finalists Algeria and hosts Gabon will all be seeded and separated in the four-group Afcon finals.

According to the seedings approved by the organising committee at their meeting in Cairo, Egypt, on Monday, the four will be in Pot One as determined by the performance of all the 16 qualified teams in the last three Afcon finals and qualifying matches as well as the last World Cup finals and qualifying matches.

The Warriors, while having participated in the qualifying stages of all the recognised versions, never made it to the finals and are in Pot Four with other minnows like Uganda,  Guinea Bissau and Togo.

“The formula adopted for each of the Afcon final tournament was eight points for the winner, six points for the losing finalist, four for semi-finalists, three for quarter-finalists, two for third in the group and a single point for a fourth place finish,” reads a Caf statement.

Importance was given to recent Afcon finals in the order of co-efficient three to one from 2012 to the last finals.

The World Cup finals were also given their weights in terms of co-efficients and based on the seeding formulae Pot Two will have Tunisia, Mali, Burkina Faso and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Pot Three was allocated to Cameroon, Senegal, Egypt and Morocco.

“The first team drawn out in Pot Four will go to A4, B4 for the second, C4 for the third and D4 for the fourth drawn side,” says Caf.

Meanwhile, uncertainty still surrounds the staging of the Total Afcon finals in Gabon due to the unstable political situation in the country following a recent disputed presidential election.

“The issue will most certainly be brought up at the Caf annual general meeting in Cairo, Egypt, on Thursday (today) as it is of most importance,” said a source.

Draw Format

Pot 1: Gabon, Cote d’Ivoire, Ghana, Algeria.

Pot 2: Tunisia, Mali, Burkina Faso, DR Congo.

Pot 3: Cameroon, Senegal, Morocco, Egypt.

Pot 4: Togo, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Guinea Bissau.

Ariel Sibanda

Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
HIGHLANDERS have received a major boost in their quest for a league and cup double after news that first choice goalkeeper Ariel Sibanda’s eye injury was not a season ender and the shotstopper is available for selection when they take on How Mine in the quarter-finals of the Chibuku Super Cup at Barbourfields Stadium on Sunday.

Sibanda sustained a bloodied right eye after being hit by the ball in Bosso’s 2-1 win over a spirited Ngezi Platinum Stars in a Castle Lager Premiership match at the same venue last Sunday,  raising fears that his season could be over.

It has also emerged that senior players opposed the club’s medical team, which had recommended that he be substituted soon after his injury, by urging Sibanda “to fight on like a soldier and die on the pitch”.

“It was not that the guys had no faith in Njabulo Nyoni, but it seems they felt a forced substitution would have had a negative impact on the team hence their stance that Ariel must hold on, but unfortunately it proved costly as the goal by Ngezi was as a result of Ariel’s partial blindness,” said one of the players.

As the doctors were atttending to Sibanda, senior players, among them skipper Erick Mudzingwa and Tendai Ndlovu, could be clearly seen indicating to the bench not to make a substitution.

“The guys said ndoda bana lenhliziyo yesilwane (have the heart of a lion) for our supporters’ sake and Ariel heeded the call. You must understand that the mood in the team these days is fight until the very end,” said another player.

A relieved Bosso coach Erol Akbay confirmed that the injury was not as bad as initially feared.

“It was not such a bad injury,  he is doing well and the plan is to use him in our games,” said Akbay.

Fans had taken to social media to wish the goalkeeper a speedy recovery with charismatic former Bosso shotstopper Tapuwa Kapini, who is now doing duty for Highlands Park in the South African Absa Premiership, also joining in.

“He will be fine,  he is a fighter,” posted Kapini on his Facebook timeline.

Chibuku Super Cup quarter-finals draw:

How Mine v Highlanders, Triangle United v FC Platinum, ZPC Kariba v Harare City, Ngezi Platinum Stars v Tsholotsho.

@skhumoyo2000

Farayi MungaziSpecial Correspondent
A FEW years ago, at the end of an interview, a former Zifa chairman grumbled about his time at the association: “Do you know how it feels to be up to your eyes in debt? When I was running that place, it was the most stressful time of my life.”

What he meant was that leading the body that governs Zimbabwe’s most popular sport is nigh on impossible. At the best of times, it’s a thankless task. Zifa is often pilloried by coaches, players and fans whenever things go awry for the national team. He might as well have added that working at Zifa in any capacity should come with a health warning.

Constantly the brunt of public hostility and rarely receiving credit for anything, it begs the question: why would anyone in his right mind want to be Zifa boss? There are, of course, many people who relish the post as a dream assignment rather than a poisoned chalice. But, if the truth be told, never has a job ruined so many reputations.

The Zifa presidency is no longer the attractive proposition it was during the days of the late Nelson Chirwa and Job Kadengu. The association is drowning in a sea of debt, with a list of creditors as long as the Harare-Bulawayo highway. Suffice to say, Zifa’s prospects of escaping the relentless cash squeeze any time soon are pretty remote.

Philip Chiyangwa made bullish noises when he became Zifa boss in December last year. I’m not holding my breath. The ostentatious businessman is staring at a mammoth $6 million black hole. This is why he tried to wash his hands off the debt in June by dissolving Zifa and resurrecting it as a new entity called the National Football Association of Zimbabwe (Nafaz). Pontius Pilate would have been impressed!

Over the years, Zifa’s financial predicament has been worsening to the nadir reached in March 2015 when the national team was expelled from the preliminary qualifying competition of the 2018 World Cup without kicking a ball. The expulsion followed the non-payment of an outstanding debt of $60 000 owed to former national coach Valinhos. The Brazilian was not paid despite several warnings and deadlines.

The annual Fifa grants have saved many a day, but oftentimes Zifa has found itself propped up by individuals with all sorts of agendas. Something has to change — and it goes almost without saying that, unless an urgent solution is found, our various national teams could be condemned to football’s backwaters for many years to come.

Could it happen that Zifa might one day be closed for business? It’s an unpalatable thought, but Zifa is facing the very real prospect of ceasing to exist. However, in my view, the problems at Zifa House have been, and are still, being misdiagnosed. In saying this, I must state that I’m neither a Zifa apologist nor Chiyangwa’s spin doctor.

After all, I include myself among football lovers who have shown remarkable resilience in the face of chronic mismanagement from the men and women who populate the game’s corridors of power. But when analysing Zifa’s ongoing trauma, it’s clear to me that the principal cause of its travails is not just corruption or mismanagement.

True, Zifa has had its fair share of incompetent and corrupt officials over the years. True, a lot of money has disappeared without trace at Zifa. True, many of the wounds that Zifa has suffered have been self-inflicted. Not every wound though. Let me sum up the elephant in the room in three words: Premier Soccer League.

Many people, myself included, regarded the birth of the PSL in 1992 with concern. Where would it end, if not with catastrophic consequences for the governing body and its ability to effectively run the game? The extent to which it is healthy for clubs to run a league independent of Zifa is a matter of conjecture. So too is the question of whether competition with Zifa for sponsorship dollars is the right sort of competition.

Before the PSL was born, Zifa made money from corporate sponsorship and gate takings. But those financial lifelines were cut off by the advent of the PSL. And once they sniffed the money, the PSL management lost sight of anything beyond the end of their nose. I humbly submit to you, dear reader, that the PSL was an ill-thought, self-serving idea that should never have been allowed to happen.

Those who banged the drum for the PSL’s creation will bristle at this, but its existence has had a corrosive effect on Zifa’s bottom line and the knock-on effects will take many years to deal with. Some will argue that Chiyangwa should knuckle down and get on with the job at hand. But the reality is that no one, no matter how clever, can run an organisation with sky-high overheads but no reliable, regular source of income.

Things are desperate. You don’t have to be a financial wizard to know that the bill for national teams — juniors, seniors (men and women) — to fulfil their international obligations is a hefty one. When you add Zifa’s other commitments, it’s quite remarkable that, apart from the 2018 World Cup aberration, they have managed to keep our national teams afloat.

Even as Zifa plummets into inexorable descent, there are many who would prefer the status quo. They ignore the fact that Zimbabwe’s economy, even at its healthiest, cannot support both Zifa and the PSL. This explains the feuds between the two bodies, especially in the 1990s, which only succeeded in making football less attractive to sponsors.

Think of it this way: Is there a single African country with a large enough economy to sustain the Zimbabwean model? In a word, no. Not even South Africa where Safa feeds on the crumbs falling off the PSL table. There are two main reasons why it works in England: the size of the economy — which enables clubs to be highly commercial — and the billions of dollars from domestic and international broadcast rights.

The terribly flawed thinking was that the PSL in Zimbabwe would replicate the success of its English counterpart. Things have only got worse since.

Our football needs radical restructuring. The two-tier system that has left Zifa facing an existential crisis must go. Bring back the Super League!

Mungazi is a Zimbabwean sports journalist working for the BBC in London.

McLaren’s Fernando Alonso will start Sunday’s Malaysian Grand Prix from the back of the grid because he is to test an updated Honda engine.

The two-time champion will get a 30-place grid penalty for using more than the permitted number of engine parts.

Reliability problems mean Alonso needed the engine to complete the season, but it also has upgraded parts.

The new power unit has a lighter engine block for better reliability and a redesigned exhaust to boost efficiency.

Alonso, 35, will run the new engine in first practice on Friday before Honda decides whether to keep it in the car for the second session.

“We had a plan at the middle of the season which races were the best ones to pay the penalties,” said Alonso.

“This one was one of the best because the conditions change here and the rain may come, and also Suzuka is the next one and we want to do a good job there because it is the home grand prix.

“So it was one of the best races to go for the rest of the season with a little more confidence. And the last time I started last in Spa I was fifth or fourth after five laps, so maybe in this weekend I am lucky as well.”

At this stage, Honda is planning to run the engine only on Friday, with Alonso switching back to the same specification as team-mate Jenson Button for the rest of the weekend. But it is not impossible the Spaniard will run the new engine for qualifying and the race as well.

The new parts mean Alonso will be using his eighth internal combustion engine, turbocharger, and MGU-H – the part of the hybrid system that recovers energy from the turbo – and his seventh control electronics, and energy store (battery).

The only part of his engine carried over from previous races is the MGU-K, which recovers energy from the rear axle.

If everything goes to plan, Alonso will use the new engine for the entire Japanese Grand Prix meeting next weekend.

At this stage, Honda is not planning for Button to use it in Suzuka because it does not want any grid penalties at its home race.

Drivers are permitted to use only five of the six constituent parts of the engine without incurring a penalty.— BBC.

Cape Town —Two Springboks will make their debuts against the Wallabies at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, while a third could make his mark off the bench.

In naming his 23-man squad for the clash in Pretoria, coach Allister Coetzee handed Stormers prop Vincent Koch and Bulls scrumhalf Rudy Paige the opportunity to make their maiden starts against Australia.

In addition, Lions front-rower Julian Redelinghuys will also get a taste of life against the Wallabies should he be used as a substitute.

The Boks have a perfect 5-from-5 record in previous Rugby Championship matches against Australia at Loftus, with an average winning margin of 18 points (36-18).

Saturday’s clash will be the 83rd between South Africa and Australia since they first clashed on July 8, 1933 at Newlands in Cape Town (Boks won 17-3).

Of the previous 82 encounters, the Springboks have won 45, lost 36 with one draw.

The Springboks’ biggest victory over Australia came during the 2008 Tri-Nations when Peter de Villiers’ men triumphed 53-8 in Johannesburg.

Sadly, in one of SA rugby’s darkest days, their biggest defeat to the Wallabies came during the 2006 Tri-Nations in Brisbane when Jake White’s side crashed to a 49-0 loss.— Sport24.

Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
HWANGE Colliery recently undertook an audit of its sports facilities as part of its bid to revive sport in the town and to check their state of preparedness to host the December Youth Education through Sports (YES) Games.

The town will also play host to the 2017 Zimbabwe National Youth Games. Hwange Colliery’s sports officer Kenny Nyape said they discovered that a number of facilities were almost derelict due to non-use and the process of refurbishing some had started.

“The main reason for the audit was to have an appreciation of the facilities’ state and we noted that some areas, especially various sports centres in the villages, were now white elephants, but as I speak to you, a workforce has already been deployed to refurbish them as we count down to the YES Games in December,” said Nyape.

Hwange town was previously known as Zimbabwe’s own version of an Olympic town as it had facilities, which were standard to play host to all sporting codes offered at the Olympics.

It has a standard athletics track, squash centre, badminton, table tennis, conventional tennis, football and a boxing arena, among others.

There will be a tour of the sporting facilities under renovations today to assess progress.

Senior Sports Reporter
FORMER Chicken Inn forward Mitchell Katsvairo opened his goal scoring account in the South African Absa Premiership with the second goal for Soweto glamour side Kaizer Chiefs against Free State Stars on Wednesday evening.

The night belonged to Zimbabweans after Warriors’ skipper and midfield strongman Willard Katsande propelled Amakhosi ahead from a first half spot kick.

Katsvairo, deemed excess luggage by FC Platinum before Joe Antipas gave him a lifeline at Chicken Inn, made a first touch control of George Lebese’s pass before finishing at the near post.

Coach Steve Komphela was full of praise for Katsvairo, who joined Amakhosi at the beginning of the season together with his former Chicken Inn teammate Edmore Chirambadare.

“I’m happy for Katsvairo, he’s been working very hard. He’s got touches, he can play with a defender on his back, he knows how to spin the ball and he gets into the right areas.

“Now a goal will be a boost because you know how strikers are, they can make great runs, they can create and make, but up until they take it they are never satisfied,” Komphela told KickOff magazine.

Katsvairo told the same publication he was grateful to coach Komphela’s motivation as he searched for his first goal.

“Ja, he [the coach] always tells me to push and it’s working now. Of course, the understanding between the players at Chiefs is getting better. I would like to thank all the players because they are taking me as family, so I think it’s the best thing because we are working as a team.

“As a striker, my job is to score, so I was waiting for it and I would like to thank God for it,” said Katsvairo.

Arsene Wenger

Cape Town — Arsene Wenger admits he is flattered to be linked with the vacant England job – but insists his sole focus is on Arsenal until the end of the season.

The England managerial role has become available after the FA parted company with Sam Allardyce just 67 days in charge.

The Daily Telegraph newspaper alleged Allardyce advised undercover businessman on ways to “get around” third-party transfer rules, making his position as England boss untenable.

Gareth Southgate is the man to take over the reins from ‘Big Sam’ after he was put in temporary charge for the national side’s next four games.

However, with Arsene Wenger inside the last year of his contract at the Emirates Stadium, speculation is rife that his name could be in the hat when the Football Association discuss who should replace Allardyce on a permanent basis.

When asked if he was flattered by the talk, the Frenchman said: “Of course, but my priority has always been this club. Until the end of this season

I’m here, and I am completely focused on that.”

Speaking after the Gunners’ 2-0 victory over Basel in the Champions League on Wednesday, Wenger reaffirmed his commitment to Arsenal after being asked whether he meant he was at the club just until next summer.

“My priority is always Arsenal and I have to assess how well I do until the end of the season,” added Wenger.

Meanwhile, Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe ruled himself out on Thursday of replacing Sam Allardyce as England manager, although he said the “ultimate job” could tempt him later in his career.

Allardyce’s one-game career as England manager came to a humiliating end after just 67 days on Tuesday following controversial comments made to undercover reporters.

The 61-year-old was secretly filmed giving advice on how to circumnavigate transfer rules and mocking England predecessor Roy Hodgson.
Allardyce, appointed England manager in July on a $3.9 million, also agreed to travel to Singapore and Hong Kong as an ambassador for their fictitious firm for a fee of $400 000.

England Under-21 coach Gareth Southgate has been placed in caretaker charge for upcoming World Cup qualifiers, but the 38-year-old Howe has been touted as a full-time replacement on the grounds that the benefit of his being a clean break with the past would outweigh his relative inexperience.

Howe was linked with the England job after Hodgson resigned following the team’s embarrassing exit from this year’s European Championships in France at the hands of Iceland.

But he insisted yesterday he wanted to help cement south coast side Bournemouth’s place in the Premier League as he followed United States coach Jurgen Klinsmann in ruling himself out of replacing Allardyce.— Sport24.