Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
THE 2016 edition of the National Association of Secondary School Heads (Nash) Copa Coca-Cola Under-16 boys and Under-17 girls’ football tournament roars into life across the country’s 10 provinces today.
Today’s winners will advance to the national finals set for Gwanda from July 22-24.
In Bulawayo, district winners will converge at Gifford High School while Filabusi plays host to the Matabeleland South provincial finals.
In Matabeleland North, Fatima High School will host the seven districts made up of 18 teams from 16 schools, according to the Nash head-in-charge of football in the province Lunguza Ndlovu.
Defending champions in the boys’ category Tsholotsho High as well as Dinyane High from the same district in the girls’ category will start as favourites to retain their titles. The schools will use the same ground that former stars, Simeone Ndlovu and his former teammate at Hwange Walter Chuma, who went on to be crowned the 1997 Soccer Star of the Year, used when they were still pupils at Fatima High School.
“Our teams will be grouped into three groups of three in both categories, with group winners automatically progressing to the semi-finals where they’ll be joined by the best runners-up,” said Ndlovu.
He said in the knockout stages, teams will be separated by penalty shootouts in the event of a stalemate after regulation time.
Matabeleland North is made up of seven districts, Binga, Hwange, Bubi, Kusile, Nkayi, Tsholotsho and Umguza.
Binga, said Ndlovu, will be represented by Siansundu in the boys’ competition and Lusulu in the girls’. Mkhosana High will represent Hwange district in the boys’, while the girls will be represented by Mosi-oa-Tunya High School.
Inyathi and Somvubu High will be the Bubi district representatives in the boys’ and girls’ categories. Host district Kusile will have Fatima, Regina Mundi and Zenzele all fielding boys’ and girls’ teams respectively.
From Nkayi district will be Tohwe Secondary (boys and girls), while Tsholotsho, who are the defending champions in the boys competition and Mavela will sweat it out today. John Landa High will join girls’ defending champions Dinyane High.
Umguza’s hopes will lie on David Livingstone and Sojini High. Winners of the boys’ provincial finals will be placed in Group B in the national finals alongside Mashonaland West and Matabeleland South representatives, while the girls will also be in Group B together with representatives from Bulawayo as well as defending champions Chidyamakono from Masvingo. Dewure are the boys’ national defending champions.
The two defending champions have already secured their places in the national finals alongside host schools, Gwanda High and Colleen Bawn.
Meanwhile, schools have been warned against age cheating during this year’s competition. Nash national coordinator Albert Mucheka said schools will be heavily fined if found on the wrong side of the law.
This comes amid revelations that Chemhanza High from Mashonaland East was fined $9,000 ahead of the 2015 finals for allegedly using nine over aged players in the 2014 finals.
Mucheka said they would conduct physical vetting, as they are aware that some people “may generate” documents.