BY FORTUNE MBELE
WARRIORS and Aston Villa midfielder Marvelous Nakamba has assured junior football enthusiasts in the country that they will be able to watch his inaugural youth tournament to be held in Bulawayo via his foundation’s social media platforms.
Like the Premier Soccer League’s Chibuku Super Cup currently underway, the Marvelous Nakamba Foundation Under-17 Tournament has been given the green light by government but will be played behind closed doors under strict COVID-19 protocols.
The tournament, which is set for June 19 and 20 featuring eight teams from across the country. Howeever, the foundation’s board secretary Brian Moyo yesterday said finer details of the competition will be announced at the launch on Friday.
“We are excited to announce that we have finally received clearance to host the inaugural Marvelous Nakamba Under-17 football tournament. It gives us great pleasure to know that we have the support of the football custodians as we endeavour to empower grassroots football through this tournament that will see over 400 budding footballers get an opportunity to showcase the talent that we have in abundance,” Moyo said.
He added: “We have set the official launch of the tournament for June 11 2021 at a local (Bulawayo) venue where we will unveil the teams that are participating as well as the rules of the tournament. However we would also love to be quick to mention that due to COVID-19 protocols, this will be a closed event. We will make sure that all football lovers will be able to follow the action at the comfort of their homes as this tournament will be live-streamed via our social media pages (Facebook @Marvelous Nakambafoundation, twitter @Nakamba_MNF and instagram @mnakambafoundation). Strict Covid protocols will be observed,” Moyo said.
Nakamba also issued a statement saying he hopes his tournament will herald the start of junior football in the country.
“Grassroots football is a very important part of the survival of football. We have all come through the system of being afforded chances at an early stage and it is befitting that we continue the tradition of supporting grassroots sports. We appreciate the approval from the custodians of football and it is our hope that this tournament will raise the curtain to the commencement of junior football in the country. This will be a stepping stone to a COVID-19 complying football era,” Nakamba said.
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Nakamba follows in the footsteps of legendary Warriors skipper Peter Ndlovu, who held an annual junior tournament in Bulawayo during his playing days in England.
Twitter @FortuneMbele
