Highlanders, CAPS in Bob91 play-off

By Grace Chingoma

CAPS United and Highlanders will clash in this year’s Bob91 Super Cup play-off at Barbourfields on Sunday while holders Dynamos will meet the winner in the final at Rufaro the following weekend.

The match would be played 24 hours after the main celebrations to mark President Robert Mugabe’s 91st birthday, which takes place in the resort town of Victoria Falls on Saturday.

The two teams have been invited to play in the semis of the invitational Cup which marks its fifth edition this year.

Last year, Highlanders featured in the semi-finals against Harare City.

They won 2-1 to progress to the final where they lost to the Glamour Boys.

Yesterday, one of the organisers of the Bob Super Cup, Stan Kasukuwere, said they were adopting the same format to the one they used last year where they reserved a spot for the Cup holders in the final.

“Highlanders and CAPS United will play in the first match to determine which team will play Dynamos in the final,” said Kasukuwere.

“Remember this is an invitational Cup and this year we have chosen Highlanders and CAPS United.

“Everything is set for the main event in Victoria Falls and we have arranged that the match would be in Bulawayo the following day so that people, still in the celebratory mood from Victoria Falls, can continue to celebrate the birthday of His Excellency the following day in Bulawayo before going home to the different provinces.

“The following weekend, the final would then be played in Harare between Dynamos and the winner of the game between CAPS and Highlanders.

“This is now the fifth year since the inception of this Cup, which started with the Bob87 tournament, and we are glad the tournament has grown in leaps and bounds each year and we hope to host a more successful Cup this year.”

The former Dynamos secretary-general said they would reveal, in due course, the prize money of the tournament as they were still tying some of the loose ends.

CAPS United are still basking in glory of winning the Sino-Zim Challenge match against Dynamos over the weekend and will relish another chance to battle for more silverware.

The team, which started their pre-season training a bit late, got off to a decent show on Sunday against the Glamour Boys.

Yesterday, assistant coach Toastao Kwashi said God was doing wonders for the club.

“We thank God, we are thankful to him. This is another opportunity to play in another Cup game before the season starts,” said Kwashi.

“We are the Cup Kings, that is our nickname, and we are happy to be playing in another Cup.

“But we cannot say much at the moment before we even play the match but we promise to work hard.

“We respect Highlanders, they are a big club and, together with Dynamos and us, we are the biggest clubs in the country.

“It will be a tough match but we just want to give our best and put 150 percent effort. We cannot say simply because we won on Sunday we are now okay.

“The battle is still on and we are just taking each game as it comes.”

Sunday’s match will also see Makepekepe new assistant coach, Mark Mathe, getting an early meeting with his former team.

Mathe guided Bosso as the caretaker head coach after his old boss, Kelvin Kaindu, quit the club.

However, he left Highlanders to move to CAPS United feeling that he needs a challenge, in another environment, to help his coaching career.

He believes he will learn a lot from head coach Mark Harrison who told ZBC’s GamePlan programme on Monday night that he was in this country to develop football.

Harrison said he wasn’t here for the money and told show anchor Charles Mabika that his estimate was that he would receive less, in terms of his salary, than his counterparts at Dynamos, Highlanders and FC Platinum.

The Englishman, who is a Manchester United fan, said he was not involved in the sponsorship deal that saw a South African firm coming on board to sponsor CAPS United last week.

The South African company will take care of the club’s salary bill and other costs and will also second a general manager who will work with CAPS United chief executive, Joe Makuvire. The Herald