BY MUNYARADZI MADZOKERE STRUGGLING giants Caps United paid a heavy price for their poor form this season after they got a tough Chibuku Cup first round draw against Black Rhinos as this year’s edition of the competition returns to the knockout format.
The 2022 Chibuku Super Cup draw was held in Harare yesterday with most of the top teams getting easier fixtures because of positions they occupied at the halfway stage of the league race.
Teams ranked in the top eight on the log standings on Week 17 were seeded in the draw and got easier fixtures, but Makepekepe, who sat in 12th place at the halfway stage of the season, got a top eight side Rhinos.
Caps went on a difficult run of seven consecutive defeats spread across the two halves of the league season and have constantly flirted with relegation.
Defending champions FC Platinum, who were log leaders at that stage, will begin their title defence against Tenax, while Chicken Inn have a date with Harare City and Dynamos play the winner of the preliminary round tie pitting Cranborne Bullets and WhaWha.
Highlanders also suffered Caps’ fate as they were also not seeded and will have a difficult first round tie against Triangle.
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The 2022 edition of the country’s biggest knockout competition is set to kick-off on August 6 with the preliminary round of matches at Mandava Stadium, involving four teams who occupied the bottom four places on the log standings on Week 17.
WhaWha, who were bottom of the table at the halfway stage of the season, will lock horns with Cranborne Bullets who were in 14th place while ZPC Kariba, on position 16, and Bulawayo City (17th) fight for the other slot into the first round draw.
Premier Soccer League (PSL) chairman Farai Jere announced the return of the normal format to the competition.
“This year, we return to the normal competition format. The teams shall be drawn according to each club’s match 17 standings. The top 14 teams automatically qualify for the first round draw while the bottom four teams shall be drawn to participate in preliminary round playoffs. We anticipate a thrilling tournament. This year, we are confident that football fans will attend the matches in their numbers,” Jere said.
Last year, the Chibuku Super Cup adopted a regional group format in the initial stages of the tournament as a result of the COVID-19 restrictions while the competition was largely played in empty stadia.
Jere said he was pleased with the support that sponsors Delta Beverages have provided to the local league through the Chibuku Super Cup competition for the past eight years.
“The tournament has been a great success since its inception in 2014. It is an achievement for us to reach this milestone, eight years of growing and developing the game across Zimbabwe. As PSL, we are honoured and proud of the work that has been accomplished through this sponsorship.”
The first round of matches is scheduled for August 21 and 21 with the last eight games to be played on the September 17 and 18 weekend and the semis on October 15 and 16.
The finals are set for November 19.
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