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Sports Reporter
THE Battle to represent Zimbabwe in the Caf Confederation Cup is expected to start next week when the Chibuku Super Cup, sponsored to the tune of $400 000, bursts into life.

According to the proposed fixture by the Premier Soccer League, they want the preliminary round to start on the weekend of September 16 to 17 with the first round set for September 23 to 24.

However, the proposed dates are waiting for the approval of the sponsors Delta Beverages, who run both the Castle Lager Premiership and the prestigious knockout football tournament.

The PSL are also set to hold a gala, bankrolled by their sponsors, this month to honour 25 years of the domestic Premiership.

Yesterday, Chibuku brand manager Karen Dhliwayo said they were yet to confirm the Chibuku Super Cup dates.

But with time not on the league’s side, Ngezi Platinum are expected to begin their defence for the title next weekend.

The league is battling to clear a congestion of matches which has been made worse by the unavailability of some stadiums.

Next Wednesday, the women’s Cosafa Cup tournament begins in Bulawayo and will exclusively use Barbourfields and Luveve leaving the five top-flight teams in Bulawayo to share Hartsfield.

The league still has nine league games to go before wrapping up the season.

And this season, the league will close the season with an additional Castle Lager Challenge Cup, which will mark 25 years of existence for the modern Premiership.

The Challenge Cup will signal the end of silver Jubilee season on December 5.

And it will feature the league winners and winners of the Chibuku Super Cup.

Should the same team win both tournaments, the league runners-up will take up the slot in the Challenge Cup.

The additional Cup will be bankrolled to the tune of $50 000 with the winner pocketing $30 000 while the finalists will get $20 000.

PSL Communications and Media Liaison Kudzai Bare said December 5 has already been confirmed as the last day of the Premiership action.

“The celebratory Cup is the last match of the season and will be played on 5 December. By then the league would have been finished.

“We are having challenges with venues and from next week we have the Cosafa Cup in Bulawayo and some of the venues such as Barbourfields won’t be available.

‘’But we are hopeful that our programme will run as planned.

“As it stands, Caps United have the majority of the outstanding matches and we hope to continue addressing these matches through midweek fixtures,” she said.

Meanwhile, the PSL have again written to clubs advising them that it is a breach of the rules for head coaches to snub post match interviews.

“It has come to our attention that some head coaches are snubbing or refusing to attend pre-match and or post match interviews with the media. Please be advised that this is a breach of the PSL Rules and Regulations.

“In terms of the PSL Standing Orders and fines, the penalty for the breach is $125 for the coach and $500 for the club each time the coach snubs or refuses to attend pre-match and post-match media interviews.

“The fees will be deducted from sponsorship fees,” read the statement.

Lloyd Chitembwe has been snubbing a number of media interviews and prefers to assign his assistants Mark Mathe and Fungai Tostao Kwashi.

Fixtures

Today: Hwange v Bantu Rovers (Colliery)
Tomorrow: Ngezi Platinum v Harare City (Baobab).
Saturday: FC Platinum v How Mine (Mandava), Black Rhinos v Bulawayo City (Rufaro, 3pm, SS), Chicken Inn v Yadah (Hartsfield), Chapungu v Shabanie (Ascot), Tsholotsho v ZPC Kariba (Dulivadzimo).
Sunday: Bantu Rovers v Caps United (Hartsfield), Triangle v Hwange (Gibbo), Dynamos v Highlanders (Rufaro, 3pm, SS).