ZIMBABWE’S legion of soccer fans, are in for yet another soccer extravaganza early next month. After hosting the Samba Boys of Brazil, football lovers will this time witness the Warriors play 2010 World Cup quarter-finalists Ghana. With memories of Ghana’s heroic exploits at the first World Cup finals held on the African soil still fresh, the National Sport Stadium is expected to reverberate into a frenzy of excitement when the Black Stars lock horns with a full-strength Warriors.

Harare businessman Philip Chiyangwa is single-handedly bankrolling the match and has since mandated the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority and the Zimbabwe Football Association to facilitate the Ghanaians visit to Harare. Organisers want the match to take place early next month before the European leagues kick off in mid August. This would enable the two teams to field all their professionals.

Chiyangwa and ZTA chief executive Karikoga Kaseke, Zifa chief executive Henrietta Rushwaya and Zimbabwe Tourism Council president Emmanuel Fundira are now working on the modalities of bringing the Black Stars to Harare. Kaseke, whose authority was instrumental in bringing the Samba Boys to the National Sports Stadium, confirmed that they had been given the mandate to organise the match together with Zifa.

"We have been mandated by Chiyangwa to bring Ghana before the English Premiership starts. "The team did Africa proud in South Africa and it is good to have them in Zimbabwe while the memories of their splendid displays are still fresh. "This will be part of our celebrity host programme,’’ said Kaseke. Chiyangwa said he was bankrolling the project alone to avoid the blame game and accusations of fraud that almost marred the visit to Zimbabwe by the Brazilians. "Yes, I have mandated ZTA and Zifa to work on bringing the Black Stars.

"It is a great team that did well for Africa and we want them here. "I want this young man Gyan (Asamoah) to play here before he goes to play in the Premier League where he is rumoured to be on the Liverpool wish-list. I don’t want anyone to assist me. I am bringing that team alone. I will charter Air Zimbabwe for special flights to Zimbabwe to bring and drop them and I will pay for their hotel bills. "I don’t want anyone else to be involved because this is where stories of fraud and deals come from. "I want to go for it alone. I am doing it for Zimbabwe and for Africa,’’ said Chiyangwa.