The Sunday Mail
Langton Nyakwenda —
GERMANY national football team chief forward Thomas Muller talked up the co-existence of religion and sport during the week, as the world champions prepared to meet the Catholic Pope in Italy tomorrow.
According to the Catholic Herald, Germany’s national soccer side will have audience with the football-loving Pope Francis as part of a team-building drive before a friendly match against Italy on Tuesday.
“I come from a Bavarian village; there is religion, I like such traditions, they give you not only social support but also structure,” Muller was quoted by a German publication, Sport1, saying.
A number of sports personalities, locally and internationally, publicly value the importance of religion in sport.
Zimbabwe’s top female boxer Monalisa Sibanda is a firm follower of the Johane Masowe sect, Mighty Warriors coach Shadreck Mlauzi carries his rosary wherever the national women’s soccer team plays. Warriors coach Kallisto Pasuwa, notorious during his playing days, is now a completely changed man thanks to his affiliation to the Madzibaba fellowship.
Religion is playing a key role in reforming some of the world’s top sports personalities. God is great!
Bindura enters the fray
The Mashonaland Central capital is gleaming, brothers from different congregations are having some quality Sunday, thanks to the advent of the Bindura Churches Social Football La Liga.
It is a 10-team league which enters it’s seventh week today with Zaoga leading the log standings with 16 points. The league’s spokesperson Mr Cloudon Rusiano got in touch with The Sunday Mail Religion from Bindura.
“I write this mail to try and express our gratitude at the way you are covering sport activities in the church. We have established a league comprising of 10 different denominations. The aim is to preach the gospel and reach out to the community for souls,” he wrote. “We want to create activities in church that can be able to take the youth off the streets where they are wasting time engaging in prostitution, drugs and all sorts of crimes. We also view these games as a platform where people can network and socialise.”
When Nharira Township exploded Four Anglican soccer teams clashed at Nharira Township near Chivhu and our brother from that area, Mr Lloyd Mujukwa, had a nice tale to tell. Anglican clubs from Chivhu, Daramombe and St Paul’s clashed in a round robin that saw Chivhu finishing on top by virtue of goal difference.
Anglican Chivhu and Daramombe, who both beat St Paul’s before drawing their match, had four points but the former scored more goals. St Paul’s lost both their matches. Focus is now on the Chivhu Christian League which is set to kick off on November 26.
“All is well here, we are now looking forward to the Chivhu Christian League. Invitation letters have been sent to the surrounding churches,” said Mr Mujukwa. The girls need our support The Mighty Warriors finally got down to serious business last Thursday when they played South Africa’s Banyana Banyana at the National Sports Stadium in Harare.
The girls are still not sure whether they will travel to Cameroon for the 2016 African Women Cup of Nations because Zifa are broke. However, a fundraising committee headed by Old Mutual senior staffer Ms Lillian Mubaiwa is working round the clock. Our prayers are with the Mighty Warriors.
Bindura Churches Social Football La Liga Week Six results Bethesda 3-0 AFM Chiwaridzo; ZAOGA 2-1 Fresh Fire; AFM Town 5-0 Evangelical; Redeemer 0-0 Methodist; United Methodist 1-1 Heartfelt.
We invite those with church sports news to contact Langton Nyakwenda on +263773298522, Facebook page Langton Nyakwenda, or email [email protected]
