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Tonderai Ndiraya

Paul Mundandi Sports Reporter
NGEZI Platinum Stars, Zimbabwe’s representatives in next year’s CAF Confederation Cup, have secured the services of some of the Premiership’s most-sought-after soccer players as they seek to bolster their squad ahead of their maiden dance in the Africa Safari. The Mhondoro-based side will know who their opponents are today when CAF conducts the draw in Cairo, Egypt.

And Ngezi Platinum are leaving no stone unturned as they aim to make a loud statement in the continental competition next year by going into the transfer market to buy new players. Yesterday, they added Tsholotsho’s Maclive Phiri, Dominic Mukandi from Dynamos and former Bulawayo City skipper Xolisani Moyo to their squad.

The platinum miners are also chasing the signature of Mutare City’s Agrippa Murimba, who was expected at the mine yesterday. The Chibuku Cup winners have already signed Qadr Amin, who had snubbed them at the beginning of the season, opting to join How Mine on a one-year contract.

Amin and Ngezi Platinum Stars’ mentor Tonderayi Ndiraya’s relationship dates back to their days at Dynamos, when the former played under the latter in 2014, though Ndiraya was an assistant coach.

“I can confirm that we have signed Maclive ((Phiri), Xolisani (Moyo) and Dominic (Mukandi) and we are currently busy registering all our players. We are closing on the new signings this afternoon (yesterday). “We will be sending the names to the board for approval but as Ngezi Platinum, we are now ready to go and play in Africa.

“We are very happy and we are not going there to add numbers but to compete,” said Jeremiah Gasiteni, the platinum miners’ chairman. A number of players on Monday converged in Ngezi to try their luck and among them was Dynamos rightback and Soccer Star of the Year finalist Godknows Murwira, as well as Edgar Mhungu, who captains Northern Region Division One runners-up Herentials.

Ngezi Platinum are expected to play their CAF Confederation Cup preliminary round tie on the weekend of February 10–12, with the second leg pencilled for the weekend of February 17-19 next year.

Both legs of the preliminary round ties of the tournament start in February, while the first round proper takes place in March. The two legs of the final are set to take place in November with $1,25 million in prize money going to the champions and the runners-up winning $625 000.

Neighbouring South Africa are one of 12 nations with two clubs eligible to play in Africa’s second tier continental competition while the rest will have just one representative. South Africa will have Platinum Stars and SuperSport United in the hat today and will be joined by Orapa United from Botswana, Zambia’s Zesco United and Mbabane Swallows from Swaziland.

It will be advantageous to Ngezi Platinum if they are paired with one of their neighbours as fans can easily travel to watch the matches as the countries are nearer to Zimbabwe.

The other nations with two teams in today’s draw are Algeria (JS Kabylie and Mouloudia Alger), Cameroon (Apejes Academy and Young Sports Academy), Congo Brazzaville (CARA and Etoile), Democratic Republic of Congo (Renaissance and Sanga Balende), Egypt (Al Masry and Smouha), Ivory Coast (ASEC Mimosas and Sporting Gagnoa), Mali (Djoliba and Onze Createurs), Morocco (Ittihad Tanger and Moghreb Fes), Nigeria (Ifeanyi Ubah and Wikki Tourists), Sudan (Al Ahly Shendy and Al Hilal Al Obeid) and Tunisia (Club Africain and CS Sfaxien).

Nations with just one representative club include Angola (Recreativo Libolo), Botswana (Orapa United), Burkina Faso (Sonebel), Burundi (Le Messager Ngozi), Central African Republic (Anges Fatima), Comoros (Volcan), Djibouti (Dikhil), Equatorial Guinea (Racing Micomeseng), Ethiopia (Defence Force), Gabon (Akanda), Gambia (Brikama United), Ghana (Bechem United), Guinea (Kaloum), Kenya (Ulinzi Stars) and Liberia (Monrovia Breweries).

That list is completed by Libya (Al Hilal Benghazi), Madagascar (Saint-Michel Elgeco Plus), Malawi (Be Forward Wanderers), Mauritania (Concorde), Mauritius (Pamplemousses), Mozambique (Songo), Niger (Douanes), Rwanda (Rayon Sports), Senegal (Niarry Tally), Seychelles (Saint-Michel United), Sierra Leone (Johansen), Somalia (Jeenyo United), South Sudan (Al Salam Wau), Swaziland (Mbabane Swallows), Tanzania (Azam), Togo (Koroki Tchamba), Uganda (Vipers), Zambia (Zesco United) and Zimbabwe representatives ,Ngezi Platinum.

Benin, Cape Verde, Chad, Eritrea, Guinea-Bissau, Lesotho, Namibia, Reunion, Sao Tome e Principe and Zanzibar will each also have one representative in the competition, with the specific clubs yet to be decided.

TP Mazembe of the Democratic Republic of Congo are the defending champions, having beaten Algeria’s MO Béjaïa in this year’s final. TP Mazembe will compete in the Caf Champions League next year and will also find out their opponents at the draw to be conducted today.