La Murambinda ‘ready for Kwekwe war’ as Dzoro embraces cup test away in the Midlands
Deportivo La Murambinda Football Club head coach Lovemore Dzoro says his side will travel to Kwekwe to face former PSL outfit Kwekwe United in the ZIFA Munhumutapa Challenge Cup preliminary round, with no complaints and full belief that the badge doesn’t score goals as they chase a place in the last 32.
In an exclusive interview with Fanzone, Dzoro said the draw conducted yesterday in Harare has handed La Murambinda exactly the examination they wanted.
“Kwekwe United f.c in the preliminary round? We take it. No complaints, no excuses,” Dzoro said. “My thoughts, we respect Kwekwe but we do not fear them. Yes Kwekwe United are former PSL side but we are ready for them. It will be a big game. So yes it’s a tough draw. But this is cup football.”
The Murambinda side, one of four Pacific Storm Eastern Region Soccer League qualifiers, will make the trip to the Midlands to face Kwekwe United, relegated from the Premier Soccer League last season.
The preliminary draw contains 28 Division One and Division Two sides in the preliminary stage.
Alongside La Murambinda, the Eastern Region will also be represented by Buffaloes FC, Destiny Stars FC and Green Fuel FC.
Fourteen winners from the preliminary round will progress to the last 32 to be paired against Premier Soccer League teams.
For Dzoro, the occasion cuts to the heart of La Murambinda’s project. “PSL D1, D2, we all start at 0-0. The badge doesn’t score goals. Their legs do and ours are also ready. The challenge excites me,” he said.
The timing, he added, could not be better. La Murambinda sit second in the Eastern Region on 34 points, two games from the halfway stage and firmly in the title race. “We are two games away from the halfway stage of the league, chasing the title, and now a cup tie versus Kwekwe? Perfect. This is what La Murambinda was built for. We did not come to Division One to hide from strong teams. We came to test ourselves. If you want to be champions, you must beat everyone. That’s our big exam.”
His message to the hosts was direct. “Message to Kwekwe fc: Welcome to Murambinda’s war. We respect your history. But we are writing our own now. We have got a huge task ahead, we prepare, we fight, we believe.”
It is still a long way to go to the final, but for La Murambinda the road starts in Kwekwe, with a coach who sees a tough draw not as a problem, but as proof of purpose.
