The Under-17 national team got a shot in the arm ahead of their last qualifying round first leg match against the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) after Murowa Diamonds donated US$10 000 on Saturday. The donation is set to be used for preparations of the make-or-break two-legged encounter that will be played in Harare first, with the return leg in DRC two weeks later.
Speaking at the presentation, Murowa Diamonds communication and external relations manager Lovemore Chimuka said they were touched by recent performance of the team in Mozambique.
The team played a 2-all draw at home before turning the tables away, beating the hosts 2-nil.
The money will be used to prepare for the first leg, as well as in all the friendly matches that have been lined up, including a trip to Zambia, before they play DRC.
This is not the first time Murowa Diamonds have been involved in sport. They assisted both Olympics and Paralympics teams ahead of London 2012. Speaking at the same function, Zifa president Cuthbert Dube saluted Murowa Diamonds for their gesture.
Dube went on to speak about chances of the match being played at another venue as Zifa was uneasy about having the players exposed to an Ebola-prone zone.
“We have to get confirmation first from Foreign Affairs ministry and the Health ministry whether or not to travel to the DRC. If they say it’s not safe, we will have to inform CAF so that they allocate another vanue,” Dube said.
