The ManicaPost
Ray Bande Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE senior men national team will engage former Africa Cup of Nations Cup winners, Chipolopolo of Zambia tomorrow (Saturday) and Tanzania next weekend before they entertain Egypt early next year in friendly matches lined up for the country’s soccer team ahead of the Gabon 2017 tournament.
| Zimbabwe will make their third appearance at the continent’s biggest football competition next year, but shoddy preparations have always been highlighted as the national team’s greatest undoing over the years. |
This time around, 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.
Following the announcement that the Warriors will play against Zambia and Tanzania in friendly matches ahead of the Afcon tournament, concerns have been raised among soccer fans that the two teams would not give the Warriors a true reflection of how they would compete against their northern African opposition in the group stages of Gabon 2017.
But Zifa spokesperson, Xolisani Gwesela, 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.
Meanwhile, Warriors coach, Callisto Pasuwa, has ruled out all foreign-based players, including those based in South Africa for the high-profile friendly international against Zambia at the National Sport Stadium on Saturday (tomorrow).
The match will start at 6pm and will be played under floodlights.
Pasuwa was on Tuesday night putting final touches to his squad for the Zambian encounter and was expected to announce his team on Wednesday.
He will then come up with another squad, including foreign-based players, for another international friendly match against Tanzania at the giant stadium on November 13.
With the FIFA week only starting on Monday, Pasuwa’s team against Chipolopolo has been restricted to the home-based players.
Even those South African-based players, whose clubs are not involved in the Telkom Knockout Cup quarter-final matches set for the weekend, appear to have been ruled out of the match against Zambia.
The Telkom Knockout Cup matches will feature battles between Baroka against Cape Town City, Mamelodi Sundowns against SuperSport United and Orlando Pirates against Highlands Park on Saturday while Kaizer Chiefs will host Free State Stars in Durban on Sunday.
Earlier reports had indicated that the inactive ABSA Premiership players were set to make it for the match against Zambia.
Other reports had indicated that captain Willard Katsande had been given leave by his club Kaizer Chiefs to play in that match and was set to arrive in the capital on Saturday.
Pasuwa will also have to overlook players from FC Platinum and Ngezi Platinum who are involved in the Chibuku Super Cup final this Saturday which starts at 2pm at Baobab in Mhondoro. ZIFA president Philip Chiyangwa said they had moved the international match to get underway at 6pm so they don’t provide a counter attraction for the Chibuku Super Cup final.
