BY THEMBA ZWANE
MBABANE- The Zion Cup is officially back on the calendar. The much-loved church football tournament was launched this on July 20 under the sponsorship of Instacash, with organisers confirming that twenty teams will do battle for the title, culminating in a champion being crowned by mid-August.
At the launch, Instacash unveiled more than just a football competition. Alongside the tournament, the company reminded church leaders of her funeral cover sign-up campaign for participating church members, which is a benefit organisers hailed as an exciting concept among congregants, particularly the youth.
Speaking at the launch, Instacash Managing Director Mandla “Cheeks” Nxumalo said the company was proud to back an initiative that goes beyond sport. “These are the kinds of initiatives that help us grow not just as a business, but alongside the communities we serve,” he said. “We are committed to continuing to support this initiative going forward.” Nxumalo also revealed that he had personally secured a Joma soccer kit worth E10,000 for the tournament, forming part of an overall sponsorship package exceeding E15,000.
Zion Cup chairman Mfundo Matsebula, of Siyalu church in Zion, welcomed the partnership on behalf of the churches taking part. “On behalf of the Zion Church, we want to thank Instacash for this initiative,” Matsebula said. “We are a big church commanding big numbers, especially among young people, and we are truly grateful for the funeral cover benefit. We promise to bring even bigger numbers to this tournament in the years to come.”
Under the tournament format, the reigning champions and eleven other teams enter directly into the group stage, joined by four teams who progress through a knockout play-in round. The teams will be split into five groups of three, with the top sides advancing to a straight knockout stage quarterfinals, semi-finals and a final to be played across three different soccer fields.
The eventual champion will walk away with a cash prize, while the runners-up will also collect a cash prize. Medals and trophies will be presented to the top-performing teams, with individual honours also on offer for Player of the Tournament and Top Goal Scorer.
With the launch now complete, attention turns to the opening fixtures, with the tournament set to build toward its mid-August climax.
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(Courtesy Pic)
