The ManicaPost
Moffat Mungazi
Sports Correspondent
ZIMBABWE’S senior men soccer team is on the cusp of making history.
In a space of four days — between March 25 and 29 — the Warriors have a chance of either standing tall and getting hailed as heroes or cowing into meek submission and subsequently getting dismissed as a bunch of nearly men.
Qualification for the 2021 Africa Cup of Nations finals is at stake.
Securing a ticket to Cameroon will go down in history as the first time the country has made it to the finals on three consecutive occasions.
The team was part of the cast at the 2017 and 2019 editions.
Previously, the Warriors were also present at the 2004 and 2006 football fête.
After almost a dozen years had elapsed since that 2006 appearance, they bounced back in 2017 and got another dance in 2019.
Should the squad make it again this time around, there will be something to cherish for the Class of 2021 – evoking a similar feeling to that of their 2004 forbearers who were the first in history to make the cut.
The likes of captain Knowledge Musona, talisman Khama Billiat, combative midfielder Marvellous Nakamba, attacker Tino Kadewere and steady defender Teenage Hadebe, among others, will share the singular honour and savour the distinction of having made it three times in a row.
Musona, whose predatory goal instincts have been likened to those of the iconic ex-skipper, Peter “Nsukuzonke” Ndlovu, will also be keen to emulate the legendary former Warriors leader as the only captain to have steered the team to two Afcon finals in quick succession.
A third successive appearance at the tournament will be a good return which comes with lots of rewards.
First and foremost, it ensures continuity for our national game. We stand to benefit from this because it will give us some form of momentum and endorse us as a formidable football force on the continent.
Winning takes getting used to and it is important to make it to such grand competitions because to be good we have to test ourselves against the best.
Also, our players will be presented with a perfect platform to showcase their talent and secure subsequent moves to the world’s elite and lucrative leagues.
The Afcon finals attract keen interest from club football powerhouses eager to unearth gems, while those already tracking certain players will follow how their targets fare at such competitions. These are the kind of tournaments where players raise their profiles by rising to the occasion and show the sterner stuff they are made of. Some protagonists of the qualifiers such as Prince Dube, who has been in scintillating form for his club, will also get their first taste of the Afcon tournament.
Others like Spain-based shot-stopper, Martin Mapisa are likely to earn their first senior cap, having starred for the Young Warriors.
Without any doubt, all eyes will be on expatriate trainer, Zdravko “Loga” Logarusic, considering that his tenure has thus far generated debate. The Croatian coach is out to write his own piece of history by becoming the first foreign coach to successfully lead Zimbabwe to qualifying, not only for the Afcon finals, but a major tournament.
Only Zimbabwean gaffers — Sunday “Mhofu” Chidzambwa, Charles Muhlauri, Kallisto Pasuwa, Joey Antipas and Ian Gorowa — have accomplished this feat.
But without getting ahead of ourselves, we have to clear the Botswana and Zambia hurdles first. Given what is up for grabs — yet without putting pressure on the squad — there is enough motivation for everyone to be fired up to complete the task at hand.
The boys, therefore, have their work cut out.
History beckons.
