The ManicaPost
Senior Sports Reporter—
THE football family in Mutare this week roundly praised the country’s soccer mother body for organising friendly matches for the Africa Cup of Nations-bound Warriors but was quick to note that more formidable opposition is needed in time before the national team heads for the Gabon 2017 tournament.
| That Zimbabwe is not part of the ongoing World Cup qualifiers owing to the shortcomings of the blundering Cuthbert Dube administration leaves the Warriors with greater need to have more preparatory matches ahead of the Gabon 2017 tournament. |
More so, this time around when Zimbabwe has been placed in what many perceive as the group of death where they will face the highly rated trio of Algeria, Tunisia and Senegal.
On Sunday, the Zimbabwe senior national men’s soccer team beat Tanzania 3-0 in a friendly match played at the National Sports Stadium.
Warriors’ striker Nyasha Mushekwi was outstanding as he assisted both Musona and Rusike before scoring a third to seal the win for the Warriors.
In the first half Knowledge Musona put the Warriors in the lead after the ball was headed down by Nyasha Mushekwi.
Mushekwi once again assisted Matthew Rusike who doubled the lead with a ferocious shot from outside the box before Musona returned the favour by assisting Mushekwi who headed the ball into the net for a third goal.
Be that as it may, fans believe that the Warriors, who also engaged the former African champions Zambia a fortnight ago before playing against Taifa Stars of Tanzania at the same venue, may need to engage more formidable opposition ahead of Gabon 2017.
Desire Dube of Sakubva’s oldest section of OTS praised ZIFA for organising friendly matches for the Warriors but emphasised the need to have more formidable opposition before the start of the tournament in Gabon.
“I think we need to praise Zifa for the good job. They did well by organizing those friendly matches. This is something that we have been clamouring for and the previous administrators at ZIFA always paid a deaf ear to it under the pretext that the country is going through harsh economic conditions.
“Now that it appears the current administration seems to have seen the light it is incumbent upon them to organise friendly matches with more formidable opposition ahead of the Gabon 2017 tournament. We are all aware that we were placed in the group of death in next year’s tournament hence the need to play formidable opposition to get a true picture of our weaknesses and strengths,” he said.
Michael Chirara of the Chitungo section of Sakubva also echoed Dube’s sentiments saying ZIFA now need to look for friendly matches with countries that are found in the region of the teams that we will be playing against.
“It is now common knowledge that we will face teams that are in North Africa that play a special brand of attacking football. Playing against Tunisia, Algeria and Senegal is no child’s play. They have experienced and talented players.
“However, this is supposed to intimidate us. We have a good squad with talented youngsters. All we need is to make sure that they are well prepared for the tournament as well as being well incentivised. Preferably we would have wanted to play against North Africa opposition before we go to Gabon,” said Chirara.
Zimbabwe will make their third appearance at the continent’s biggest football competition next year, but shoddy preparations in the past have always been highlighted as the national team’s greatest undoing over the years.
Refreshingly, ZIFA spokesperson, Xolisani Gwesela, recently told Post Sport that the country’s football mother body was aware of the dynamics involved and they were actually at an advanced stage of negotiating for friendly matches with North African opposition.
“We are fully aware of the need to play North African opposition as we prepare for Gabon 2017. In fact, I can confirm to you that negotiations are at an advanced stage for us to have a friendly match with Egypt before we travel to Gabon for the Africa Cup of Nations tournament next year.
“We are likely to have that friendly match against Egypt early next year. For now we are concentrating with the two friendly matches that have since been confirmed and that is against Zambia and Tanzania,” said Gwesela.
