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Joy Setshedi

Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter
THE second launch of the inaugural Supa Power Cup tournament will be held in Bulawayo on Friday following last week’s launch in Francistown, Botswana.

The one-day tournament, set to be held at the 26 000-seater Francistown Sports Complex Stadium on August 19, will feature Zimbabwean football giants Highlanders and Dynamos as well as Botswana’s Tafic and Mochudi Centre Chiefs.

Joy Foundation founder and philanthropist Joy Setshedi confirmed that the second launch will be held this Friday.

“There will be another launch in Bulawayo on Friday, July 28. The inaugural launch went on well and we expect all the four teams’ representatives to be in attendance in Bulawayo just like our Botswana launch,” Setshedi said.

The organisers have undertaken to provide tracksuits for all participating teams in addition to the P5 000 appearance fee that will be paid to each player.

There is, however, no prize money for the winning side, with winners set to get a trophy and medals. According to Setshedi, there will be monetary reward for the winners next year, with the tournament likely to involve women’s teams as well.

According to Highlanders’ acting chairman Modern Ngwenya, who represented the club at last Friday’s launch in Botswana, the sponsors promised to deposit the money two weeks before the finals.

“We are grateful and appreciate the invitation. However, a deposit into our account is what is  going to bring happiness to our players,” said Ngwenya.

The main aim of the tournament is to raise funds for the development of a sports academy in Mochudi, Dinkgwana Ward, and Setchedi told the Botswana media recently that her Foundation had acquired land measuring 5.6 hectares to develop a multi-facet sports facility for nurturing of both the boys and girls athletes.

Set to be run along the same lines as South Africa’s Carling Black Label Cup featuring rivals Orlando Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs, fans of the four teams will select the 29 participating players for each side, but the logistics on how fans will select the players have yet to be made known.

The cheapest ticket for the tournament has been pegged at P60, with the VIP enclosure expected to cost P750. — @skhumoyo2000