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HE might not have featured for his country yet, but youthful England-based midfielder Kaya Tshaka appears to have seen enough to be convinced that the Warriors could spring a surprise and gatecrash into the 2026 World Cup football party.
The Warriors are without a coach, just 21 days before they plunge back into the Group C qualifying race with two games inside four days, next month.
Zimbabwe, with two points from as many games, face Lesotho and South Africa on June 7 and 11.
The Warriors will host Likuena (The Crocodiles) at Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg before they visit Bafana Bafana at Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein.
And Tshaka, who is on the books of English National League outfit Eastleigh, has been closely following developments in the Warriors camp and watched their opening Group C games against Rwanda and Nigeria in Butare, which ended 0-0 and 1-1 respectively.
A graduate of the Southampton academy, who won the Under-18 championship with the Saints juniors in the 2021-22 season, Tshaka is the latest of the emerging crop of England-based starlets, now popularly known as the “British Brigade” who have put their hands up for their motherland.
A host of the England-based players born to Zimbabwean parents believe they can help make a difference in the Warriors, banking on the exposure they have had to high-level training and the more competitive leagues in that country.
There is also a growing chorus which believes that with the right blend of some home-grown talent and those born and developed in the Diaspora, which is based on meritocracy, the Warriors could still upstage favourites Nigeria and South Africa in Group C.
Benin are the other team that completes the cast that is fighting for the top spot in the group.
Tshaka had observed that Zimbabwe had a decent pool of gifted players who can drive the Warriors bid.
“It is a strong team with very technical players both locally and outside.
“If you look even at the AFCON 2022 (Africa Cup of Nations), performances against Guinea and Senegal, both traditional powerhouses, it showed how good of a team we are,” Tshaka said.
“We just need a bit of luck and the team can go very far, but the reality is that focus will be on one match at a time, starting with Lesotho.
“A victory will be morale-boosting and bring the squad together and that goes a long way.”
Tshaka is one of many of the new players who are seeking to lead a new revolution for the Warriors, who include Plymouth Argyle’s Brendon Galloway, Wolves striker Tawanda Chirewa, Jordan Zemura of Udinese, Joey Phuthi (Sheffield Wednesday) and Munashe Garananga of KV Mechelen in Belgium.
He is a central midfielder who signed for Southampton at the tender age of eight where he spent a decade and crowned it by winning the Southern Premier League Under-18 title two years ago.
The youth championship title has traditionally been a preserve of such teams as Arsenal, Chelsea, Fulham Tottenham, and Tshaka describes winning it with Southampton as one of the major highlights of his fledging career.
“For my group to win that for Southampton that was huge. I also played at the Red Bull NextGen tournament and we won the Port of Antwerp tournament.
“I captained my team at St Georges Park when we made the U15s Floodlit Shield Final, against Newcastle, we had a good start, but Newcastle came back and eventually won it.
“We lost 2-1 to Valencia in the final for our section, of the MIC international youth football tournament in Spain, navigating past some top sides,” Tshaka said.
“I guess it is all about now, making a positive impact right now. I am at a good age now, and I am ready, mentally and physically.
“Being called up for the Warriors, either the seniors or juniors, would be a dream. All I can do is to carry on working hard and do my best. Hopefully opportunities will come, and I can make the most of those opportunities.
“Fortune knocks at a man’s door once, when all is said and done, the football will speak for itself. Every footballer growing up, dreams of progressing with the team they play for, winning cups and trophies, playing in the biggest tournaments. Hopefully, that will also be possible with the Warriors. I might be dreaming big, but I feel I can also learn from the experience of just being in camp with all those players,” he said.
Last season, he had a flirtation with Wimborne where his arrival was greeted with excitement by the club manager James Stokoe.
“We are pleased to bring Kaya in on dual registration, we had him in for a couple of games pre-season before he then went on to feature for Eastleigh’s first team and trains with them daily, he’s an energetic player who’s had a good background in Southampton’s academy, we look forward to seeing Kaya throughout the season and what he can do with us,” Stokoe said at the time.
Just like many prospective players and even the Warriors faithful, Tshaka would have to continue waiting on the wings, as ZIFA’s Normalisation Committee continues to keep the nation guessing on the identity of the senior team’s coach. What is certain though is that Lincoln Mutasa’s Normalisation Committee, who are enjoying the goodwill of FIFA, are hard at work in terms of putting together the logistical preparations for hosting Lesotho at Orlando and the trip from Johannesburg to Bloemfontein
Online Reporter