Chronicle Editor
Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE’S Warriors are fast becoming an attractive brand for corporate partners amid revelations that a local medical consortium wants to strike a deal with ZIFA to take charge of the senior team’s healthcare provisions during the African Cup of Nations.
The Warriors will play against Algeria, Senegal and Tunisia in the Group B games at the tournament that will run in Gabon from January 14 to February 5.
In the week that mobile network services provider — NetOne — boosted the Warriors confidence by pouring $250 000 for the national team’s Nations Cup campaign, a local group, Rapiso Health Assist, have come up with a package that will ensure that Callisto Pasuwa and his troops do not have to worry about healthcare issues before and during the Gabon tournament.
Rapiso Health Assist administrator and Accountant Abdul Gomani said the package they were putting in place was “Rapiso’s way of supporting the Warriors.”
“We are offering emergency healthcare services to members of the public on credit facility.
“We want to offer this facility to the Warriors’ dependants as they go to the Africa Cup of Nations so that they can focus on the Nations Cup while we take care of their spouses and families while they are away on national duty.
“We are looking at getting into a deal with ZIFA to see how best we can execute this package,” Gomani said.
Gomani said they had also concurred with the philosophy outlined by coach Pasuwa that the Warriors should have minimum distractions ahead of the Nations Cup.
Pasuwa, in thanking NetOne for their sponsorship deal, noted that his players had during the qualification race, been often distracted by bonus rows with the ZIFA authorities.
A case in point was the problems that rocked the Warriors camp on the eve of their departure for their opening qualifier against Malawi which saw them eventually missing their flight and having to travel on a Munorurama bus and arriving in Blantyre just hours before the match.
Rapiso Health Assist, which has surgeries, laboratories, pharmacies, x-rays and a hospital that has a maternity wing among its facilities, wants to ensure the players and their coaches do not have to “worry about health matters”.
“We want to make sure that once they get into camp for AFCON and during their period at the competition in Gabon, we will be having this programme running for them.
“We believe as Rapiso that we can help avoid some distractions that may occur while players are in camp by taking care of their families on their behalf and our membership includes doctors, pharmacists, technicians and all the personnel necessary to offer healthcare,” Gomani said.
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