Vusumuzi Dube
Mehluli Sibanda, Senior Sports Reporter
BLACK Rhinos Queens of Zimbabwe are racing against time to prepare for next month’s Confederation of African Football Women Champions League l Cosafa qualifier since they have not been in action for close to two years.
The Cosafa tournament is scheduled for 26 August to 4 September with Black Rhinos to face off against Green Buffaloes of Zambia and Namibia’s TURA Magic in what will be a tough pool.
As is the case in many countries across the region, the Covid-19 situation in Zimbabwe has had a severe effect on the country’s football, with restrictions put in place by authorities at times meaning players could not even train together, let alone play.
The challenge now is to get the team ready for the regional tournament that starts in three weeks’ time, but coach Malven Moyo is confident they can pull it off.
“We last played in 2019, but we have been training in batches here and there. This year we have not trained due to the restrictions, but we have given our players individual training, and our fitness trainer and coaches have been monitoring the players and visiting them individually,’’ said Moyo.
The top two will advance to the semifinals and keep themselves on track to win the tournament, which not only comes with regional bragging rights, but also a place at the Caf Women’s Champions League finals in Cairo later in the year.
“It is an exciting draw, and we are looking forward to it. Three teams will not be easy, we don’t know each other, save for Zambia that has been in the Olympics recently. We have seen some of their good players,’’ further stated Moyo.
He said they will remain focused and try not to worry much about the two teams they will be facing in the pool matches.
“We just have to remain focused, and not look too much at the opponents, and just do our own things right and take it from there.”
Moyo says women’s football in Zimbabwe is on the rise, even if the pandemic has forced them to take a few steps back.
“It’s coming up, unfortunately due to the pandemic it has come to a halt. But it is really improving, we saw that when our women’s team qualified for the last Olympics in Rio de Janeiro [in 2016],” he said.
Black Rhinos have beefed up their squad with the loan signings of national team stars Marjory Nyaumwe (from Cyclone Queens) and Rudo Neshamba (from Harare City).
Bongani Ndlovu