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THE Warriors’ COSAFA Cup adventure ended on Tuesday when they lost 0-2 to Kenya, in their final group game, and finished third in what was a sensational collapse.
Our boys went into the final round of the group games as the outstanding side at the regional tournament as they were the only team with two straight wins and who were yet to concede a goal.
All they needed was a draw but the Warriors, somehow, decided to self-destruct in the final game and, after a goalless first half, conceded twice in the final period to crash out.
It was a disappointment for the organisers whose tournament had been illuminated by the lively band of Zimbabwean fans who flocked to every match played by the Warriors and turned it into a carnival atmosphere.
For us, at this newspaper, the interest wasn’t about the Warriors winning the COSAFA Cup, a tournament we have won a record six times in the past.
We believe that this annual regional tournament should not be used as a quest for success and honours by our national team but it should be used as a developmental organ for the cultivation of the next generation of our stars.
It should be used to expose the next generation of players, who have the potential to play for the Warriors, in the AFCON and World Cup qualifiers, to the challenges that come with playing on the international football scene.
That is what our counterparts in other countries, like South Africa, are doing — sending their batch of promising players to the COSAFA Cup so that they can learn a thing or two of what is expected when it comes to playing for their senior national team. So, they can fail to win the tournament but what they would have gained, in terms of investing in their future to ensure that they have a steady and good supply of players who can graduate into the Bafana Bafana squad, is priceless.
That is the reason why our counterparts in Malawi had also chosen a predominantly Under-23 side, which was supposed to be coached by one of our own, Callisto Pasuwa, for this COSAFA Cup tournament.
The Malawian team, though, was forced to withdraw from the tournament after the death of their Vice President.
We should not be using the COSAFA Cup to see whether a player like Godknows Murwira can show us that he is good enough to be considered for the Warriors side which plays in the AFCON and World Cup qualifiers.
We should be using the COSAFA Cup so that a player like Joe Phuthi, who has been building a good reputation for himself in England and has shown great commitment to play for his country, can show us that he has what it takes to play in the AFCON and World Cup qualifiers.
It’s sad that we didn’t give him a run, even for 15 minutes, at this COSAFA Cup and it’s also sad that we never got to see goalkeeper Marley Tavaziva in action.
Online Reporter