Story by Anashe Murombedzi
ZIMBABWE’s premier knockout football tournament, the ZIFA Munhumutapa Challenge Cup, is scheduled to commence in May, with the tournament draw planned for next month. The competition will bring together teams from lower divisions through to the elite level, following a format modelled on England’s iconic FA Cup.
Acting ZIFA Chief Executive Officer, Norman Gwangwadza, said organisers are finalising programme schedules to avoid clashes with ongoing league fixtures.
“We are expecting to start most of the programmes in April. The idea of this meeting is to firm up on those programmes. Remember, we are operating within PSL fixtures for the regional leagues and the provincial leagues so we need to make sure that there are no games that are crossing paths,” he said.
Football administrators welcomed the inclusive approach, emphasising the importance of input from officials at all levels.
“These programmes are very critical in football, and as administrators we are happy to be called to put our input because we are the ones who run football,” ZIFA Eastern Region Football Administrator Fungai Munyoro said.
“It has been discovered around the world that the top-to-bottom approach does not usually yield the results that you want, and you want to work with the people who are on the ground. We want to thank ZIFA very much for the good work that they’ve done, recognising that for football to be successful, it is the juniors who lift Zimbabwe out of the doldrums,” NASH National head in charge of football, Ropafadzo Norman Matemavi said.
ZIFA has also announced plans for a new grassroots competition aimed at developing young talent, including female players. The proposed junior league is designed to provide a structured pathway from school-level football to national representation, generating hundreds of matches annually and offering merit-based progression.
“The cup is designed to promote football development, improve club competitiveness, and create pathways for talent discovery. Over 1 000 teams from men’s and women’s leagues, lower divisions, and Area Zone clubs will participate, making it a truly national event,” SRC representative Shaffine Tokoda Machaya said.
The US$25 million tournament, backed by Government seeks to fill the gap left by the defunct ZIFA Unity Cup which last ran in 2007. Organisers hope the Munhumutapa Challenge Cup will, over the next five years, transform Zimbabwean football by giving clubs at all levels the opportunity to compete on a national stage.
