Ricky Zililo Senior Sports Reporter
THE National Association of Secondary School Heads (Nash) will be on high alert for age cheats when provincial finals of the 2016 Copa Coca-Cola Under-16 boys and Under-17 girls’ soccer tournament kick off tomorrow.
The provincials will be followed by the national finals to be staged at Phelandaba Stadium in Gwanda from July 22-24.
Matabeleland South kick starts the provincial competitions tomorrow with Filabusi High School playing host to the boys’ event tomorrow, while the girls’ competitions will be held at the same venue on Friday.
Albert Mucheka, the Nash national coordinator, said they were ready for the provincial finals and warned that schools caught using over-aged players would be heavily fined.
“All the provinces are raring to go and we expect highly competitive provincial finals without any disturbances. As Nash, we’re trying by all means to eliminate age cheating and we still have those hefty $500 fine per player caught cheating. That money will be paid by the offending school,” Mucheka said.
He said they would also conduct physical vetting, as people “may generate” documents.
Besides producing a birth certificate, national identity documents or school IDs, Mucheka said participants will be required to produce pictures of them taken during zonal and district qualifiers.
All players are also required to produce their Grade 7 result slips.
Dewure High from Masvingo province are the boys’ national defending champions, having beaten Rujeko High from Mashonaland East 4-3 on penalties at last year’s finals in Bulawayo.
The girls’ title is held by Chidyamakono from Masvingo.
The two schools automatically secured their places in the national finals alongside host schools Gwanda High and Colleen Bawn.
Twenty schools from this week’s provincial finals will sail through to the national meet in Gwanda.
Copa Coca-Cola (provincial venues and dates)
Venue Date
Byo Boys Gifford High 8 July
Byo Girls Gifford High 8 July
Mat South Boys Filabusi High 7 July
Mat SouthGirls Filabusi High 8 July
Mat North Boys Fatima High 8 July
Mat NorthGirls Fatima High 8 July
Midlands Boys Kwekwe High 8 July
MidlandsGirls Kwekwe High 8 July
Masvingo Boys Dewure High 8 July
Masvingo Girls Dewure High 8 July
Mash East Boys St Ignatius High 8 July
Mash EastGirls St Ignatius 8 July
Manicaland Boys Mamunyadza High 8 July
Manicaland Girls Mamunyadza High 8 July
Mash Central Boys Hermaine Germainer 8 July
Mash Central Girls Chipindura High 8 July
Harare Boys Churchill High 8 July
Harare Girls Roosevelt High 8 July
Mash West Boys Rimuka 2 High 8 July
Mash West Girls Munyaradzi School 8 July
The finals draw
Boys
Group A: Manicaland, Bulawayo.
Group B: Matabeleland South, Mashonaland West, Matabeleland North.
Group C: Masvingo, Midlands, Mashonaland Central.
Group D: Mashonaland East, Harare.
Girls
Group A: Masvingo, Mashonaland Central, Mashonaland West.
Group B: Bulawayo, Matabeleland North.
Group C: Matabeleland South. Harare, Mashonaland East
Group D: Midlands, Manicaland.