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Petros Kausiyo Harare Bureau
MINING giants Mbada Diamonds have reaffirmed their commitment to domestic football by insisting that the Mbada Diamonds Cup will continue to be on the radar of the domestic top-flight football for the foreseeable future despite challenges posed by the tough economic environment in the country.

After months of speculation on the fate of the tournament that traditionally brings the curtain down on the local season, Mbada  Diamonds yesterday came out clearly and maintained that there was never a doubt that the competition, dubbed the “The People’s  Tournament’’ was never on the verge of being scrapped.

What has only changed, the diamond miners said, was the format of the 2014 edition which will now be competed for by the teams that will finish in the top four at the end of the Castle Lager League championship race.

That development is set to add to spice to the championship title race, which as has been the case over the last four seasons is heading to the wire, with two-time Mbada Diamonds Cup kings and Premiership champions Dynamos just two points ahead of ZPC Kariba at the top of the table.

There are, however, six more games to go in the Premiership race which is scheduled to finish on November 23 after which the Mbada Diamonds Cup will explode into life with the semi-finals matches and the grand final.

Despite the number of games being reduced, Mbada Diamonds ensured there would “something in it for everyone’’ by deciding to grant the other 12 Premiership teams that will finish from fifth to 16th positions — a $10,000 administrative cheque each as part of the $250,000 total package.

In unveiling the package for this year’s edition, Mbada Diamonds corporate services executive George Manyaya told a packed media conference that his company would remain committed to ensuring the tournament takes place as part of their mission which is that of “Harnessing Diamonds for the people’’.

Manyaya said Mbada Diamonds had also been humbled by the goodwill they had received from the local football family and added that the company would also advocate for the $1 entry charges for the fans that will watch the tournament.

“There has been a lot of speculation in the mainstream media and on social media related to the hosting of this year’s Mbada Diamonds Cup and by aid of this media conference we seek to announce and confirm the correct position in terms of the 2014 Mbada Diamonds Cup.

“Mbada Diamonds remains committed to its social responsibility programmes and this year the Mbada Diamonds Cup is a big part of the cocktail of our programmes that we roll out year-in and year-out to strengthen the bond that binds us with communities in which we operate.

Manyaya said although they had tried to assist the country’s representatives in the Confederation Cup, they could not be faulted for the teams’ failure on the continental stage.

“As previously noted, our strategic thrust for 2014 is to heavily invest into mining of deep-seated conglomerate and kimberlitic material, which requires an extensive capital outlay. As a result we embarked on major cost-cutting initiatives that have seen us reducing budgets in all facets.

“It is against this background that the 2014 edition of the Mbada Diamonds Cup comes in a different but more exciting format which we believe will make a big impact on the standard of the competition.”

Manyaya also revealed that his company had also explored the idea of having just a one-off match, in similar fashion to the TM Pick’ n’ Pay Challenge Cup, and hand $150,000 to the winners but that would have contradicted their all-inclusive approach in the way the mine conducts its business.

Premier Soccer League marketing and ICT manager Rodwell Thabe said the top-flight body would, in close consultation with their broadcast partners SuperSport and Mbada Diamonds, decide on the dates and venues of the matches.

“The Castle Lager League programme should be ending on 23 November and the Mbada Diamonds should kick off any time after that. The PSL is committed to give its sponsors as much mileage as possible and we will decide with the sponsors and our broadcast partners whether to have a double header of semi-finals or one semi on a Saturday and another on a Sunday,’’ Thabe said.