Dube upbeat after Mali win

senior team game that should also bring in a number of positive spin-offs for local football.
The Warriors secured the first victory of their 2012 African Cup of Nations Group A qualifying campaign when they beat the Eagles 2-1 before a packed Rufaro last Sunday.
Warriors’ chief striker Knowledge Musona scored both goals either side of half time.

It was a sweet victory that was greeted with excitement and relief from everyone in the stands at Rufaro to the corridors of power at Zifa.
The Warriors’ winless run had not only left coach Nor-man Mapeza under immense pressure, but the heat had also turned up on the Zifa board as the custodians of the national game.

Although they might have remained third on the Group A standings, the significance of the win was that it helped the Warriors reduce the gap between them and leaders Cape Verde to just two points and thrust Zimbabwe back into contention for a ticket to the Nations Cup finals.

Dube said an early exit from the qualifying race could have had negative effects on the national game and Zifa’s ambitions given that the Warriors are the country’s flagship team.
The Zifa president led the way in ensuring the Warriors were motivated for the showdown with Mali by pledging US$25 000 as incentives from his personal resources, which was handed over to team manager Sharrif Mussa on Wednesday.

Dube has often gone out of his way to help cash-strapped Zifa to meet the national teams’ obligations including mortgaging his house when the senior team travelled to Bamako for the reverse tie against the Eagles in March.

Yesterday, the Harare business executive spoke at length about how much the Warriors’ resurgence had impacted on the domestic game and outlined Zifa’s vision for the remainder of the Group A campaign.
Dube also hailed the national Under-23 side who are just a hurdle away from sealing a place at the All-Africa Games and the women’s team – the Mighty Warriors – who have already qualified for the Maputo Games.

“I think (the win) has given us a lot of hope for the future especially when you consider the quality of our players and also the way our supporters came in large numbers.
“As Zifa we are grateful for the support from the people of Zimbabwe.

“I am actually told that some people were turned away because Rufaro happened to be too small.
“I think there has been a positive impact and we are now thinking of qualifying for the finals . . . this should herald a new era for our football.

“The pressure of needing to win even affected us as a board, we were worried that we might bow out of the qualifying race and this could have affected our plans.
“We have learnt from our past mistakes and now we have started the preparations for the remaining two games against Liberia at home and Cape Verde away and hopefully the team can maintain this momentum.

“We also want to avoid waiting for the last minute to prepare and we are currently working on having at least two or three international friendly matches for the Warriors before they play Liberia,” Dube said.
Dube said he was hopeful that the corporate world would also take note of the success stories of the Young Warriors and that of the Mighty Warriors and partner the association in driving these teams.

“We are really appealing to the corporate world and the government to support us and soon we are going to undertake fundraising activities for all national teams from July and this will be done across the country because the team is for the whole country”.

Dube reiterated his earlier pledge to revive the Warriors Trust which he believes, should be the vehicle through which corporate partners could be identified for the various national teams.
In such countries like South Africa, big companies like Sassol and South African Breweries partner with Bafana and the Under-23 teams.

Dube said although they were aware that government had a lot to cater for in other sectors they would continue to engage the state with a view to have them helping the national team.
“We know that government is constrained. They have not helped with a cent since this campaign started that is why we are being proactive and taking some fund-raising initiatives of our own.

“We cannot rely on gate takings alone but we are also working with government to see how they can help us identify who can be the Trustees.
“I think it can happen now that the Under-23 and the Mighty Warriors have also done well.

“The hope that was lost is slowly coming and we had such corporates like Toyota assisting us with vehicles for the match officials so I think more is coming our way.
“I think there is some confidence that is starting to show up for the corporate world. We have the talent and all they need is the support and the fact that the fans from different ethnic groups and left with all smiles

has given us hope”.
Dube also spoke about the on-going legal battle between Zifa and Belgian coach Tom Saintfiet who has approached Fifa and is demanding nearly US$500 000 from Zifa allegedly for breach of contract.

Saintfiet, now coaching Ethiopia, had agreed terms with Zifa to coach the Warriors but his appointment could not take effect after the Department of Immigration rejected his application for a work permit.
“We have engaged our lawyers to defend the matter and Maganga (Zifa lawyer) has made submissions to that effect.

“But I must say that the charges from Tom are ridiculous and they don’t make any sense at all.

“Our immigration laws state that we cannot make an application for a permit without a signed contract and we made it clear to Tom that he could only be paid a salary and other benefits subject to the application being processed.”
The Zifa boss said he was also in discussions with Madinda Ndlovu to find an amicable way to resolve the problem created following the dismissal of the Black Mambas technical advisor’s from the Warriors set up.

Ndlovu had earlier been appointed Warriors caretaker coach for the duration of the Nations Cup qualifiers and the African Nations Championships before Zifa recalled Mapeza on a substantive basis.
“I am discussing with Madinda and I don’t think it will go to litigation, I last met him in the presence of his lawyer and I will seek another meeting with him again,” Dube said.

But it is the goodwill that has come about on the back of a fine month for the Warriors, the Mighty Warriors and the Young Warriors that Zifa have sought to ride on.
And Dube believes that sooner rather than later the Government will also be able to chip in and assist them.
“We still feel Government should come in. All the national associations including the Mali team that we have just beaten are heavily funded by their governments,” Dube said.