The ManicaPost
ONCE again, the country’s flagship football team gets back into the trenches of international competitions, this time around in the CHAN tournament starting tomorrow (Saturday) in Cameroon.
It is sad that preparations ahead of this year’s CHAN tournament were shambolic, mainly due to the Covid-19 pandemic which rendered local top-flight football league inactive for more than a year now.
While the blame game has been the norm in most cases that our dear Warriors get inadequate preparations ahead of major assignments, it may not assist us too much in this hour.
All that we now hope and pray for are better results from the matches that the team representing us will play in Cameroon.
All that we now hope and pray for is a respectable position at the end of the competition in Cameroon and going beyond the group stages will be a remarkable achievement.
Indeed, for a football crazy nation that we have always been, all that we now hope and pray for is not the same old humiliating exit at the initial stages of the competition.
Achievement in the CHAN tournament will naturally give most Zimbabweans something to cheer their spirits, given that the Covid-19 pandemic has derailed many people’s plans and plunged a lot more into anguish and mourning.
That football has not been played in this country for more than a year now will obviously militate against our efforts to win matches on the field of play.
Zifa president, Felton Kamambo, is on record recently saying local stakeholders should devise ways to save the domestic football industry as prospects show that Zimbabwe could go for a second year without top-flight football being played.
The domestic football industry is facing an uncertain future in the face of the deadly coronavirus pandemic which prevented the start of the top-flight league last year.
The chances of the game returning as expected in March suffered another big blow following the suspension of all sporting activities by the Sports and Recreation Commission recently in response to Government’s announcement of additional lockdown measures.
The Premier Soccer League was supposed to come back next month after the Government gave Zifa the green light to resume activities under strict guidelines.
But the privilege has been withdrawn following the spike in coronavirus cases in the country which led to new lockdown measures. Football is regarded as a high risk sport under the country’s coronavirus lockdown measures.
The restart of football will be expensive because of the health guidelines that need to be strictly adhered to curb the spread of the virus.
The game was supposed to return late last year with a two-week bubble tournament, but it failed to kick off because of lack of funding.
“Sometimes we come up with plans, but these plans have to be complimented by funding.
“This is the biggest challenge that we usually face, but as Zifa we are committed to give a helping hand to resuscitate the industry.
“For instance, we have pledged to meet the medical costs and to pay the referees fees for the restart of the game. I know it may not be much, but that is the little that we can do. Hopefully, Government and the corporate sector will also be able to come on board,” Kamambo was then quoted.
It is our fervent hope that in the near future, we will realise the return of football action and carry on with the football developmental path that we have always yearned for.
No doubt, Zimbabweans love the game of football with a passion and its success brings joy to many citizens.
But for now we can only say, Go Warriors Go!
