I was a beneficiary of a sound junior development plan, and as such I have to give the upcoming footballers a platform to showcase their talent and possibly attract the attention of scouts.
This was said by Warriors midfielder Marvelous Nakamba following the success of the inaugural Marvelous Nakamba Foundation National Under-17 football tournament in Bulawayo on Sunday.
The foreign based midfielder promised to support grassroots football development in the country through his foundation after the historic youth football tournament final was graced by football legends and government officials, including Justice, Legal and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Ziyambi Ziyambi.
“Youth football development is the basis of success wherever you go and as such the MNF will continue to sponsor the national Under-17 tournament.
“It was unfortunate there were some incidences of age cheating and as MNF we soundly condemn such acts.
“But, that will not deter us from our mission to uplift the youths through football,” said Nakamba.
The Warriors star, whose foundation also pays schools for over 1 000 students across the country, confirmed that the MNF Under-17 tournament will be an annual event.
“The idea is to do this tournament every year and also spread it to all corners of the country.
“I will continue doing this every time when I am on off-season because I belong here in Zimbabwe. All the people who attended this event are my people,” he said.
The Aston Villa player also revealed that his foundation is also planning to host a girls’ football tournament in November.
“It’s all in the pipeline. We also need to cater for the girl child and give her equal opportunities,” he said.
Douglas Mloyi, Ronald Sibanda, Dickson Choto, Gift Lunga and Ephraim Mazarura are renowned former footballers that attended the tournament.