Munhumutapa Quarters: Tears and tributes as Scottland seek to honour Chivayo, Hardrock chase treble

The ZIFA Munhumutapa Challenge Cup explodes into life on Saturday but one tie carries a weight heavier than football.

Rufaro Stadium on Sunday will not just host a game. It will host a tribute. All eyes will be on Scottland FC, who walk onto the pitch for the first time since the tragic death of their sponsor and benefactor Wicknell Chivayo in a helicopter crash on Wednesday.

“Beyond the sponsorship, Sir Wicknell believed in our dreams, stood by us through every triumph and challenge, and became an invaluable part of the Scottland FC family.

The void left by this sudden demise is huge, not only for Scottland FC, but for everyone whose lives were touched by his generosity,” Scottland said in a statement.

Mabviravira are wounded and will be desperate to turn tears into triumph against a stubborn Bulawayo Chiefs. Chiefs have had no sympathy before.

They have been the quiet assassins of this inaugural tournament and they arrive in Harare with nothing to lose and everything to prove.

On Saturday, giant-killers FC Hunters lie in wait for CAPS United, hoping to repeat the act that sent Dynamos packing in the Chibuku Super Cup.

Blanket Mine FC players at Sabiwa Stadium. Picture by Blanket Mine FC

CAN BLANKET MINE CONTINUE THEIR GOOD RUN AGAINST PSL OPPONENTS

On Sunday, Kwekwe will stand still. Chahwanda Stadium will be a furnace when Hardrock FC host Herentals College. Hardrock are no longer just miners digging for points; they are dreamers chasing a treble , the PSL title, the Chibuku Super Cup and the Munhumutapa Challenge Cup.

In Bulawayo, Luveve Stadium will host the Central Region derby as Blanket Mine FC play hosts to FC Platinum. The match was originally pencilled for Phelandaba but has now been shifted to Luveve due to the poor standard at the initial venue.

Blanket Mine are unbeaten in 28 Central Region matches and they approach the tie high on confidence of beating the four-time PSL champions. More so, striker Matthew Hlabati, the competition’s top scorer with five goals, will be hoping to extend his lead on the cup’s scoring charts.

But FC Platinum are reborn. Under Thabo Senong, they are unbeaten since his arrival. From there, the path narrows as the winners of FC Hunters vs CAPS United will meet the winners of Blanket Mine vs FC Platinum, while the winners of Scottland vs Bulawayo Chiefs will face the winners of Hardrock vs Herentals.

RELATED STORY: Munhumutapa Cup quarter finals serve up fiesty pairings as the race for silverware intensifies