Could Bulawayo sides Highlanders and Zimbabwe Saints perform an all-time upset by taking giant strides in their quarter-final first leg matches against honour-favoured Harare sides Dynamos and CAPS united in BP League Cup matches today?

That is a feat many have thought could not happen, but quite possible all the same. Highlanders, regarded widely as a once-mighty team, will be hoping to use home advantage to maximum effect when hosting Dynamos at Barbourfields in Bulawayo while Saints travel to Harare to meet CAPS at Rufaro Stadium.

Being a cup competition no holds will be barred in both clashes but the likelihood of Dynamos and CAPS playing with conceit and falling over themselves in the end is real.

Highlanders and Dynamos, sponsored by the same firm, have already met this year with the Bulawayo side losing 1-2 and chances are that it will be a vengeful Highlanders side that steps on to Barbourfields this afternoon promising to take a good lead to the second leg encounter next weekend.

It also promises to be the match of the weekend ahead of other quarter-final first leg clashes between Chapungu and Black Aces at Ascot in Gweru, Wankie against Blue Swallows at the Colliery Stadium and the one pitting CAPS and Saints in Harare.

The passionately-followed Dynamos will be making their second visit to Bulawayo in as many weeks and will hope that like last Sunday it will be a fruitful journey. Hope will lie on deadly forwards Tauya Murehwa, Lloyd Mutasa and stocky Zambian player Francis Kasanda to spring another victory in the southern city. Dynamos beat Saints 1-0 in a league tie last weekend through a goal by Murehwa.

Kasanda, already nicknamed "Pajero" by Dynamos fans for his immaculate drives and turns, has added a new dimension to his team's attack, assisting Mutasa to regain his scoring prowess and Murehwa to claim his first three goals of the season and Dynamos, favoured to lift the BP Cup at the end, are back on track once more.

Kasanda will meet his Zambian compatriot Kelvin Kaindu in Highlanders colours and surely none of the duo will want to perform lesser than the other on foreign soil. Kaindu, too, is a powerful and talented player who has lacked co-ordination with his team-mates for a long time although lately Gift Lunga (Sr.) and Lewis Katinyu have started to assist him.

Highlanders will also bank on cool-headed defender Thulani Ncube and another Zambian link-cum-defender Jones Mulenga to keep Dynamos strikers at bay while the Bulawayo side's strikers will also hope to penetrate the Chamu Musanhu-marshalled Dynamos defence which has been able to give giant goalkeeper Peter Fanwell enough shield so far.

In Harare, Saints will also hope to maintain the fighting power they always parade against Harare sides in the capital and if CAPS their usual Jerkyll and Hyde performances when much is expected from them, they will fall.

Saints' goalkeeper Muzondiwa Mugadza, who is also the club's leading goalscorer with six goals (all spot-kicks) will be looking at thwarting CAPS' own menace Alois Bunjira and possibly stretch his own goal tally to match Bunjira at the top of the goalscorers' table!

The Zimbabwe Football Association can host the 2000 Africa Cup of Nations successfully without Government financial support if they start a vigorous fund-raising campaign now.

Zifa treasurer Frank Valdemarca told The Sunday Mail that little or no Government financial support is required in hosting the African soccer showpiece.

Responding to statements that the Government had not budgeted for the African Cup of Nations, Valdemarca said with proper planning and good committees in place the games could successfully be hosted with little or no Government financial aid.

He said Zifa should, together with the Confederation of African Football, negotiate for a lucrative television rights deal that could bring in millions which could underwrite the costs of staging the competition.

"We can successfully host the competition if everything is in place starting today and a strong marketing team put in place to market the games and the country. What people do not realise is that many people will come into the country as spectators and this will bring in a lot of foreign currency.

"There are a lot of royalties that we will get from hosting and I am sure we will come out in the black. That I am sure we can achieve. Part of the money comes from CAF who pay for the referees and the secretariat," said Valdemarca.

Early last week the permanent secretary in the Ministry of Education, Sports and Culture, Stephen Chifunyise, said no money had been set aside for the games thus casting doubt on the viability of hosting the games.

Zifa chairman Leo Mugabe told The Sunday Mail that some people were out to try and discredit his association.

"What people should realise is that some of us were part of the All-Africa Games organising committees and Valdemarca was in the finance committee....People in Zifa played their part in the success and nothing can stop us from hosting the games with the help from CAF and patriotic Zimbabweans," said Mugabe.

He said statements by Chifunyise that Government had not made a commitment to host the games were erroneous since the former minister Witness Mangwende had made the commitment as leader of the Zimbabwean delegation when they were bidding for the Nations Cup.

At the Midrand Conference Centre in South Africa on January 11, 1996, Mangwende, who was not a delegate but invited to speak when Zimbabwe won the bid, reiterated Government's support for the Zimbabwe Football Association’s effort and said they would ensure the professional organisation of the competition.

Mugabe said if the ministry wanted something in writing it was coming since his association had been involved in training for the African and World Cup qualifiers. The problems in the smooth running of football which had necessitated the appointment of a Commission of Enquiry had taken up Zifa's time so much that they had not been able to draw up a budget for the hosting of the games.

"We have appointed a small committee to come up with a budget and this will be forwarded to Government soon," he said.

Mugabe said Government involvement would be required in committees like finance, grounds, security, immigration and his association had always had a cordial working relationship with them in the past.

Sports Commission chairman Alwyn Pichanick confirmed that he had spoken to Valdemarca and had been given assurance that a document on the Nations Cup was being prepared and would be with them soon.

"I do not see why Government should not support Zifa if everything is in place," said Pichanick on Friday night.