Sports / Local
John Nkomo soccer tournament launched in Bulawayo
07 May 2016 at 08:24hrs | Views
THE inaugural $5,000 John Landa Nkomo Liquor Hub Super 8 tournament that will feature Zifa Southern Region Soccer League clubs was launched in Bulawayo yesterday.
The tournament is bankrolled by businessman and Zifa Southern Region Soccer League patron Raj Modi.
Speaking on behalf of the sponsor, Elphas Mashava said Liquor Hub were pleased with the resilience shown by the custodians of the game in the region and hence found it prudent to partner the Southern Region Soccer League which they hope will lift the level of competition to a higher level.
"The Southern Region has shown a lot of resilience under the prevailing hard economic conditions and the emergence of teams such as Chicken Inn, who hail from this region, to be a powerhouse in Zimbabwean football is testimony to that. The total sponsorship package will be $5,000 and we hope to make it an annual tournament if the economic conditions permit," said Mashava.
Teams that will be in the top eight at the halfway mark of the season will be eligible to compete in the tournament, according to the regional football boss Musa Mandaza. Jabulani Nkomo, son to the late Vice President, said the family was honoured by the recognition of their father's legacy.
"This is a proud moment for the John Landa Nkomo family. Our father was a disciplined man who was passionate about sport and we're touched by the gesture to name the tournament after him. My father's relations with Modi and sport in general go a long way back and it's not surprising that the Southern Region Soccer League and the sponsor saw it befitting to name the football tournament after him," said Nkomo.
The late Vice President was a patron of the Zimbabwe Football Association.
Also present at the launch was younger brother to John Landa Nkomo, Philip, members of the Zifa southern region board, newly elected Zimbabwe Rugby Union (ZRU) president Nyararai Sibanda and the Zifa Bulawayo province chairman Francis Ntutha.
All 16 teams in the Southern Region Soccer League were represented at the launch as well as the Sam Dzvimbu from the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC).
The tournament is bankrolled by businessman and Zifa Southern Region Soccer League patron Raj Modi.
Speaking on behalf of the sponsor, Elphas Mashava said Liquor Hub were pleased with the resilience shown by the custodians of the game in the region and hence found it prudent to partner the Southern Region Soccer League which they hope will lift the level of competition to a higher level.
"The Southern Region has shown a lot of resilience under the prevailing hard economic conditions and the emergence of teams such as Chicken Inn, who hail from this region, to be a powerhouse in Zimbabwean football is testimony to that. The total sponsorship package will be $5,000 and we hope to make it an annual tournament if the economic conditions permit," said Mashava.
"This is a proud moment for the John Landa Nkomo family. Our father was a disciplined man who was passionate about sport and we're touched by the gesture to name the tournament after him. My father's relations with Modi and sport in general go a long way back and it's not surprising that the Southern Region Soccer League and the sponsor saw it befitting to name the football tournament after him," said Nkomo.
The late Vice President was a patron of the Zimbabwe Football Association.
Also present at the launch was younger brother to John Landa Nkomo, Philip, members of the Zifa southern region board, newly elected Zimbabwe Rugby Union (ZRU) president Nyararai Sibanda and the Zifa Bulawayo province chairman Francis Ntutha.
All 16 teams in the Southern Region Soccer League were represented at the launch as well as the Sam Dzvimbu from the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC).
Source - Chronicle
