Sports Reporter
THE state of the pitch did not matter for the hundreds of young footballers and netball players from Chitungwiza, who converged for the inaugural Magaya Sports Tournament held at the Unit L Ground yesterday.
It was another clear indication of how locals love their football, as almost 5 000 people watched while some bright prospects showcased their talent in front of Government officials, local businesspeople and former Premier Soccer League players.
Permanent Secretary in the Ministry of Sport, Recreation, Arts and Culture Nicholas Moyo was impressed with the show, but was quick to remind the local council on the need to renovate sports facilities in the dormitory town.
Chitungwiza is the third-largest location in terms of population but it does not have a proper football stadium.
The town is a hotbed of football talent, as hundreds of players who play or have played in the top-flight league hail from this area.
Chitungwiza does not have a Premier Soccer League team.
“The Magaya Tournament speaks directly to the trajectory of Government and their fight against drug abuse. We see this as a major programme that contributes to that fight,” said Moyo.
“The President has made it clear that as ministries, as the private sector, we should fight against the scourge of drug abuse, which is disenfranchising the community.”
He called upon the local council to prioritise sport infrastructure development.
“This tournament also contributes a lot towards the consumption of sport in the country. This will then increase the industrialisation of sport in this country,” he said.
“As Chitungwiza, if the local authority also goes a step further in the renovation of their football facilities and we then look at this as a bigger picture where people of Chitungwiza can have their own stadium, supporting their own team, maybe called Chitungwiza FC.
“This will feed into the industrialisation of sport and also improve the economy in Chitungwiza. We should have the town council sitting with us here. This is where it all starts. This is not a proper ground and this should speak directly to the local authority.”
The tournament was sponsored by Walter Magaya, who was raised in Chitungwiza, and is the owner of Premier Soccer League club Yadah Stars.
Magaya has also constructed the Heart Stadium in Waterfalls and yesterday revealed he did this out of frustration.
“That’s how much I love Chitungwiza, and I have been pushing to improve football infrastructure here,” said Magaya.
“Let me tell you a secret. Construction of Heart Stadium in Waterfalls was out of frustration because I wanted Chibuku. I have constructed a stadium in Maputo, another one in Malawi and now I am targeting Eswatini and Namibia. This is all out of frustration.
“It’s not that I love other countries more than my own. I have applied to the Chitungwiza council several times.
“To be honest with you, the town council is the limitation to development. I want to tell you this: If I am given the greenlight tomorrow at 10am, I tell you, at 12pm we will have started work.”
The boys Under-20 tournament featured 12 teams drawn from across Chitungwiza.
Former Premier Soccer League players David Rediyoni, Charles Maguraushe, Valentine Ndaba and Nicodemus Muramba watched the tournament.
