Sports / Soccer
Supersport 9 to screen all BancABC Sup8r matches
26 Jun 2013 at 00:13hrs | Views
THE world of champions, Supersport, will screen all the BancABC Sup8r tournament quarter-final matches which start on Friday and end on Sunday live.
Three of the matches will be live while one will be delayed. The Dynamos match will be on television at 5pm. Eight teams - Dynamos, Highlanders, Chicken Inn, Monomotapa, Shabanie Mine, Buffaloes, FC Platinum and Motor Action - will battle it out for the $120 000 winners' cheque.
Chicken Inn is hunting for its second silverware of the year having bagged the season's opener - the NetOne Charity Shield - when it takes on Shabanie Mine in the first quarter-final at Mandava Stadium in Zvishavane.
Kennedy Ndebele, the Premier Soccer League chief executive officer, said screening of the matches is part of showcasing Zimbabwe's football to the rest of the world and affording soccer enthusiasts a chance to watch the matches.
"We have been assured that all the matches will be screened live unless otherwise and that is why you find that two of the four games will start just after 12 midday. This is all about showcasing Zimbabwe's best and we could not let such an opportunity go that is why the games will be live.
"The good thing is that fans who will fail to travel to the games will get a chance to watch them live and those in countries where Supersport 9 is available will watch the matches," said Ndebele.
This will be the second time this season for a major tournament to be screened live on Supersport after the NetOne Charity Shield.
Topflight action returns to Masvingo where 2011 BancABC Sup8r competition losing finalists Highlanders will take on FC Platinum in a game that kicks off at 12:30pm at Mucheke Stadium.
The other encounter scheduled for an early start is the one involving defending champions Motor Action at Gibbo Stadium against Monomotapa.
Harare giants Dynamos and army side Buffaloes will lock horns at Gibbo soon after the Motor Action-Monomotapa clash.
For the 2013 edition, the financial institution has partnered five other companies - LED Travel and Tours, Sakunda Petroleum, Topics Stores, Arenel and Rockshade to make the competition bigger and better. Runners up will walk away with $50 000 with the losing semi-finalists getting $20 000 while quarter-finalists will take home $12 000 each.
It is the huge purse - $120 000 - set aside for the winners that will make the competition even more interesting and probably lead to clubs giving their best so that they make it all the way to the final.
The league winners are set to get $70 000 at the end of the year so the prizemoney that goes with the BancABC Sup8r Cup makes the tournament ideal to play for and win.
Chicken Inn go into the competition as favourites but they have to pass Shabanie Mine's hurdle first.
The Gamecocks beat the Chinda Boys 2-1 at Maglas Stadium on Sunday and they are aware that it will not be a walk in the park on Friday at Mandava Stadium.
"Shabanie Mine is a good team, we beat them in a league game and that is history. We know that they will want to beat us at all costs and we are preparing for them.
"What we want is to win a major cup and for us to do that it means we have to beat Shabanie Mine and advance to the next round," said Mandla Mpofu, Chicken Inn's head coach.
Some of Gamecocks' match winners include the league's top goal scorer Tendai Ndoro, young Kudakwashe Mahachi, their skipper Felix Chindungwe as well as Danny "Deco" Phiri.
Shabanie Mine's hopes will be pinned on goalkeeper Victor Twaliki, striker Tarisai Rukanda, Pervington Zimunya, Caleb Masocha and Blessed Mbavarira.
Luke Masomere, Shabanie Mine's head coach vowed to turn the tables on Chicken Inn.
"Chicken Inn is a very good team with talented players in every department but it will be difficult for them to beat me again on Friday because I do not normally lose twice to the same team in one week," Masomere said.
But the match of the weekend could be the clash between Highlanders and FC Platinum at Mucheke Stadium where a battle royale could ensue in midfield.
Highlanders' Milton Ncube, Mthulisi Maphosa, Hillary Madzivanyika and Eric Mudzingwa will fight it out with FC Platinum's Charles Sibanda, Thabani Kamusoko and Joel Ngodzo for control of the crucial midfield section where the game will probably be won and lost.
Fixtures
Friday: Chicken Inn v Shabanie Mine (Mandava, 3pm)
Saturday: Highlanders v FC Platinum (Mucheke, 12:30pm)
Sunday: Monomotapa v Motor Action (Gibbo, 12:30pm), Dynamos v Buffaloes (Gibbo, 3pm)
All matches on SS9
Three of the matches will be live while one will be delayed. The Dynamos match will be on television at 5pm. Eight teams - Dynamos, Highlanders, Chicken Inn, Monomotapa, Shabanie Mine, Buffaloes, FC Platinum and Motor Action - will battle it out for the $120 000 winners' cheque.
Chicken Inn is hunting for its second silverware of the year having bagged the season's opener - the NetOne Charity Shield - when it takes on Shabanie Mine in the first quarter-final at Mandava Stadium in Zvishavane.
Kennedy Ndebele, the Premier Soccer League chief executive officer, said screening of the matches is part of showcasing Zimbabwe's football to the rest of the world and affording soccer enthusiasts a chance to watch the matches.
"We have been assured that all the matches will be screened live unless otherwise and that is why you find that two of the four games will start just after 12 midday. This is all about showcasing Zimbabwe's best and we could not let such an opportunity go that is why the games will be live.
"The good thing is that fans who will fail to travel to the games will get a chance to watch them live and those in countries where Supersport 9 is available will watch the matches," said Ndebele.
This will be the second time this season for a major tournament to be screened live on Supersport after the NetOne Charity Shield.
Topflight action returns to Masvingo where 2011 BancABC Sup8r competition losing finalists Highlanders will take on FC Platinum in a game that kicks off at 12:30pm at Mucheke Stadium.
The other encounter scheduled for an early start is the one involving defending champions Motor Action at Gibbo Stadium against Monomotapa.
Harare giants Dynamos and army side Buffaloes will lock horns at Gibbo soon after the Motor Action-Monomotapa clash.
For the 2013 edition, the financial institution has partnered five other companies - LED Travel and Tours, Sakunda Petroleum, Topics Stores, Arenel and Rockshade to make the competition bigger and better. Runners up will walk away with $50 000 with the losing semi-finalists getting $20 000 while quarter-finalists will take home $12 000 each.
It is the huge purse - $120 000 - set aside for the winners that will make the competition even more interesting and probably lead to clubs giving their best so that they make it all the way to the final.
Chicken Inn go into the competition as favourites but they have to pass Shabanie Mine's hurdle first.
The Gamecocks beat the Chinda Boys 2-1 at Maglas Stadium on Sunday and they are aware that it will not be a walk in the park on Friday at Mandava Stadium.
"Shabanie Mine is a good team, we beat them in a league game and that is history. We know that they will want to beat us at all costs and we are preparing for them.
"What we want is to win a major cup and for us to do that it means we have to beat Shabanie Mine and advance to the next round," said Mandla Mpofu, Chicken Inn's head coach.
Some of Gamecocks' match winners include the league's top goal scorer Tendai Ndoro, young Kudakwashe Mahachi, their skipper Felix Chindungwe as well as Danny "Deco" Phiri.
Shabanie Mine's hopes will be pinned on goalkeeper Victor Twaliki, striker Tarisai Rukanda, Pervington Zimunya, Caleb Masocha and Blessed Mbavarira.
Luke Masomere, Shabanie Mine's head coach vowed to turn the tables on Chicken Inn.
"Chicken Inn is a very good team with talented players in every department but it will be difficult for them to beat me again on Friday because I do not normally lose twice to the same team in one week," Masomere said.
But the match of the weekend could be the clash between Highlanders and FC Platinum at Mucheke Stadium where a battle royale could ensue in midfield.
Highlanders' Milton Ncube, Mthulisi Maphosa, Hillary Madzivanyika and Eric Mudzingwa will fight it out with FC Platinum's Charles Sibanda, Thabani Kamusoko and Joel Ngodzo for control of the crucial midfield section where the game will probably be won and lost.
Fixtures
Friday: Chicken Inn v Shabanie Mine (Mandava, 3pm)
Saturday: Highlanders v FC Platinum (Mucheke, 12:30pm)
Sunday: Monomotapa v Motor Action (Gibbo, 12:30pm), Dynamos v Buffaloes (Gibbo, 3pm)
All matches on SS9
Source - chronicle
