Story by Lawrence Trusida, Sports Editor
18-year-old Zimbabwean footballer Prosper Padera is breaking new ground after signing a four-year contract with Finish topflight side, SKJ FC.
The Mutare-bred footballer will be showcasing his skills in the Veikkausliiga.
Padera honed his skills at Majesa Academy in Mutare and was named the best player at the Nakamba Foundation Junior Tournament two years ago.
He has never looked back, attracting attention of Prime-Time Academy that prepared him for international football up until the time he made his breakthrough in Finland.
“I am happy to be here I worked hard but I believe this is just the start of my career and I want to do well here and move into the top five European football nations. I believe the environment here can make me thrive,” he said.
Prime Time Academy is led by former professional footballer Dexter Blackstock who turned out for Queens Park Rangers and Nottingham Forest in England.
Said Blackstock, “We are happy to be playing a part in developing talent, we have some good academies around as you can see, he was developed at Majesa and what we did was just prepare him for Europe, train him the way they train there and this is an area that we lack in Zimbabwe.”
Prime Time Academy is also working with Scottland FC as they aim to give budding players a pathway to international football.
Meanwhile the ZIFA Appeals Committee has upheld the decision by the Northern Region Division One Disciplinary Committee to award three points to Scottland for their abandoned match against Karoi United.
The decision effectively confirms Scottland’s promotion to the Premier Soccer League after they ended the season on top of the log.
