Highlanders headline Bulawayo Football Festival

Football fans in the City of Kings and Queens are in for a treat this Sunday when Highlanders, Bulawayo City, Tsholotsho and How Mine clash at Barbourfields Stadium in a tournament that has been dubbed the Bulawayo Football Festival.

The festival is being organised by all the four clubs involved with the idea being to try and fund raise and also give teams a chance to gauge how far they have gone in terms of preparing for the 2016 season.

Gate charges have been pegged at $2 for the rest of the ground while tickets for the wings will cost $3 and entry into the VIP section will cost $5.

The tournament draw will be conducted at Barbourfields at 09:00 hrs.

Highlanders have been seeded meaning the other three teams will go into the hat with the first two teams to be picked playing each other in the first match at10 o’clock and then Bosso will play the remaining team in the second match.

The winners of the first two games will then proceed to the finals while the losers will take part in a third place play-off.

Proceeds from the festival will be shared equally between the four teams with the tournament winners also earning bragging rights over their city rivals.

Highlanders FC secretary general Emmett Ndlovu

Highlanders secretary general Emmett Ndlovu said they were taking the tournament seriously as it provides an opportunity for Bosso to gauge their strength.

“The guys are really taking it seriously as they know that at the beginning of the season this is where you measure yourself against these guys that are also trying to be counted among the big boys of local football. 
Our technical has been working flat out to ensure that we come nothing short of victory and I can confirm that our new coach Erol Akbay will be part of out technical team on Sunday,” Ndlovu said.

Bulawayo City FC chairman Jerry Sibanda

Bulawayo City chairman Jerry Sibanda said he is confident that his team will emerge victorious as they are the best prepared.

“We have one of the most seasoned coaches in the country in Philani Beefy Ncube and we want to see how he has prepared for the 2016 season. 

I am very confident because no other team is as prepared as Bulawayo City, we are more prepared than even our brothers (Highlanders) and on Sunday we are going to beat our brothers and later on say sorry brother, you are just not prepared,” Sibanda said.

Tsholotsho FC chairman Mlamuli Phiri

Tsholotsho chairman Mlamuli Phiri said the tournament is bound to foster unity among the teams taking part.

“It will be a sweet time. We have met two of the teams that will be part of the tournament when we played them in the Premier League last year. 
We were beaten by Highlanders twice and hopefully on Sunday it will be a time for us to say; feel us! We will approach the games as friends because we are one people in Bulawayo,” said Phiri.

Bosso treasurer Donald Ndebele implored fans to come in their numbers and enjoy the football fiesta.

Highlanders FC treasurer Donald Ndebele

“I would like to invite the soccer loving Bulawayo public to come in large numbers because if you are to watch four games for $2 it means that on average you will have paid 0.50 cents per match. 
This is an opportunity to financially support these teams and the teams should also use the chance to showcase upcoming talent,” Ndebele said.