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The African Cup of Nations (Afcon) tournament is under ay in Egypt, and the competition is getting tough for some teams, revealing the levels of preparation by the different countries.
It has become almost customary in Zimbabwe for sports bodies to take the credit for the teams’ successes but never take the blame when things do not go as planned.
Zimbabwe had targeted to reach at least the quarter-finals of this year’s finals, or at worst, progress to the second round of the contest. However, for the umpteenth time, we fell at the first hurdle. There is no doubt that the Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) and the national football team, the Warriors, failed the nation in a big way.
Having opened the tournament in that memorable tie against Egypt, the Warriors gave Zimbabweans so much hope that it was unbelievable to see the same warriors that were in battle a few days earlier crumble on a forgettable Sunday, evoking memories of yesteryear where match fixing visited our shores. Clearly, we should not be reminded, let alone be persuaded to suspect that money disputes could have taken another turn at the tournament leading to the disastrous campaign.
What has become clear is that football is evolving and as a country we need to improve and improve quite fast since yesteryear minnows in football have overtaken us and have proceeded to the next round.
We believe we have the players that can hold their own against some of the best, as it was shown in the game against Egypt. In the match against Uganda, which game we dominated, our tactics came short as the Ugandan technical team clearly noticed that while they could not match our team in terms of the skills of the players, they could influence the game tactically. And they prevailed, and celebrated after the match to signal their relief at escaping unscathed despite their frailties.
Zifa cannot carry on as if it is business as usual. We failed to retain the Cosafa Cup and explained our failure away by claiming we were focusing on the bigger picture, Afcon. As we gird our loins and set our sights on our next adventure, the Chan Championships, we will have distinguished captains of the ship, with a proven track record of success.
If those tasked with taking us to the promised land cannot do it, they should gracefully pass on the baton. The Warriors are a Zimbabwean brand, they fly the Zimbabwean flag and woe unto whoever subjects the nation to unending seasons of our flag at half-mast. We deserve better.
Online Reporter
derick.khumalo