adminTadious Manyepo
Sports Reporter
WARRIORS defender Qadr Amini says his teammates should quickly forget the negatives associated with their shoddy preparations and instead focus on upstaging Cameroon in the CHAN opener tomorrow.
The match kicks-off at 6pm.
Zimbabwe were expected to touch down in Yaounde yesterday, having left the country via Ethiopia on Wednesday afternoon.
The CHAN finals, reserved for players plying their trade in their respective domestic leagues, runs until February 7.
It was postponed from April last year due to Covid-19.
Only Tawanda Nyamandwe was replaced by Thomas Chideu in the 23-man squad picked by coach Zdravko Logarusic, the Manica Diamonds man having retained a positive result for Covid-19.
The team’s preparations were heavily affected after 14 members of the team, including nine players, tested positive for coronavirus ahead of a scheduled two-week tactical training programme.
As a result, the team failed to train together until last Saturday when it was basically too late to work on the fundamentals ahead of a tournament of this nature.
Nonetheless Amini believes that in as much as football is physical, it is the mental fortitude which the Warriors need to be able to compete at this biannual fiesta.
“This is not the time to look at what we didn’t do which we were supposed to do. It’s time to challenge ourselves to aim higher,” said Amini.
“We are at CHAN to do better than what we did the last time out. We are at the tournament to fight, to compete. Our being there means that we are one of the best 16 teams in the continent. We can’t then just go there to fulfil fixtures.
“This is the time we, as Zimbabwe, need to look at ourselves and challenge ourselves to do better.
“We cannot always complain. Of course we didn’t have the best of preparations due to the Covid-19 ailment, which in any case has also affected other teams one way or the other.
“This is the time we should show heart and do our nation proud.”
Amini said Cameroon, being a continental giant and playing at home, hold an edge over the Warriors but Zimbabwe have good enough players to stop the Indomitable Lions.
“Of course, Cameroon are at home and they will enjoy the 12th man advantage but this is tournament football. This is the match which determines our future at the fiesta.
“We have good enough players with a strong mentality in our fold. It’s always difficult to play an opening match at a tournament moreso against the hosts.
“But most definitely, we will be out to fight. The players are raring to go and we will compete. This is a key match.”
His Ngezi Platinum Stars teammate Wellington Taderera for which he is yet to share the change room since the domestic season has been on hold due to Covid-19, said the Warriors will put their heads on the block in the tie against Cameroon.
“Firstly, I should say as the Warriors, we are all excited. We are going to troop into a football pitch for the first time in over a year. That’s something soothing given the hardships we have experienced due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” said Taderera.
“We shouldn’t allow the excitement to be wiped by defeat against Cameroon. We know we have a massive fixture at hand against the hosts but we are prepared.
“This is a match we all know is not going to be easy at all but it will not be easy for Cameroon either. We should be cautious but go out all in attack for games are won by scoring goals.
“Everyone is ready for the match and we know if we concentrate more, we can get a positive result.”
Zimbabwe will face Burkina Faso as well as Mali in the same group.
Online Reporter