Bosso, DeMbare in Unity Day clash

Ricky Zililo,Senior Sports Reporter

THE country’s most followed football teams, Highlanders and Dynamos are scheduled to face off one more time this year, this time around in a Unity Day Challenge game set for Thursday at Barbourfields Stadium.
While nothing official has been given out regarding the match, US$100 000 is said to be in store for the winner of Thursday’s match while the runners-up will pocket US$80 000.
This will be the second time that the two teams are facing off in an invitational tournament, having done so on Independence Day celebrations on 18 April at Emagumeni.

Highlanders and Dynamos resumed training last week on Tuesday, with Joel Luphahla being in charge of Bosso in the absence of head coach Baltermar Brito who is on holiday while new DeMbare gaffer Herbert Maruwa hit the ground running.
Though Bosso and DeMbare officials have remained tight-lipped about the two teams’ Unity Day clash, Maruwa let the cat out of the bag after he was appointed as the replacement for Tonderai Ndiraya.
“We started training today, preparing for the Highlanders game which I believe will help us to see the composition of the team and where we need to improve the team,” Maruwa said.

The newly appointed Dynamos gaffer added: “We need to make sure we build a strong team that can compete at top level, improve the team and play exciting football that can lure our supporters back to the stadium. I know beautiful football will also bring positive results and we see how the season will end.”
In the Independence Cup, a second half strike by Stanley Ngala was all that Highlanders needed to win the 42nd Uhuru celebrations trophy before a capacity crowd.
It was a sweet win for Highlanders who were playing their first major cup final against Dynamos at Barbourfields Stadium since 2007 when they lost 2-1 to DeMbare in the CBZ FA Cup.

 

Highlanders team manager as well as team doctor each got US$1 500, with the two medics sharing US$2 250.
Two technical assistants from Highlanders got US$1 125 each.
The man-of-the-match chosen by the winning technical team was due to take home a cool US$2 250.
Sakunda reviewed the prize money shared by Dynamos to US$18 300 from US$9 000 which they had set aside before the final. Each member of the 30-team DeMbare squad will get US$610.

Meanwhile, for lifting the Uhuru Cup Highlanders earned themselves $6 million while Dynamos went home with $4.5 million.
Acting Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation, Benson Dube could neither deny nor confirm that Bosso and DeMbare are facing off on Unity Day.
“They (Highlanders and Dynamos) are supposed to be playing each other, but as a Ministry we have no budget for that encounter. What we always encourage when there are National Holidays is that there should be sporting festivities across the country, have basketball, netball, volleyball or any
other discipline instead of just football,” said Dube.
— @ZililoR