Hope for Warriors key players

Zimbabwe take on Egypt at Borg El Arab stadium in the North African country’s second largest city of Alexandria.
The match kicks-off at 7pm.

However, Warriors’ goalkeeper Arubi hurt two fingers of his left hand while diving for the ball during a training session on Saturday while German-based Musona did not take part in yesterday’s session after being attacked by a bout of flu and fever.

During yesterdays’ training session, Arubi took part as an infield player with goalkeepers’ coach Nkululeko Dhlamini taking his place between the posts while Musona took a rest in his hotel room.

However, team doctor Nick Munyonga, said chances are high that both players would have fully recovered when the match gets underway tomorrow night.
“I think Arubi is improving and we are doing all that we can to ensure that we protect the hand he sustained an injury. This is why you saw him taking part in training as an infield player and not in his usual position of goalkeeping.

“Preliminary tests have indicated that he will be able to play on Tuesday. With Knowledge (Musona), it is a bit different. The striker had a throat irritation and flue like symptoms. We think he had a chest infection and fever. We decided that he should take a rest and we hope that all things being equal, he should be back in training anytime soon. We also hope that he will not get worse and be able on play on Tuesday,” said Munyonga.

Warriors coach Klaus Deiter Pagels also expressed confidence both key players would be back in training soon.

“With the goalkeeper, I do not think it is a big problem for us because he is improving and might be back in training in his rightful position by tomorrow (today). Knowledge (Musona) is receiving treatment and I am confident that he is recovering. I am also confident that he will be able to play on Tuesday.

“The good thing is that we are preparing well as a team. Yesterday we were working on our defence and today we worked on the offensive part of the game,” he said.
Seven-time African champions Egypt lead the group standings with six points from two matches while the Warriors, still chasing their first win in this campaign that got off to a horrible start last year, are a distant third and five points behind.

Meanwhile, Pagels has castigated the Western media for peddling lies about situations in most African countries saying his team feels at home albeit negative information about the volatile political situation in Egypt.

Pagels and his side, who flew into Egypt on Friday, have been going through their paces at a training ground at the five-star Radison Hotel in Alexandria where they are booked.

Interestingly, in a show of immeasurable hospitality uncharacteristic of North Africans, the Warriors are booked at the same hotel with their Egyptian opponents.
The hotel is about 25 kilometres from the match venue — Borg El Arab stadium.

However, it is the peaceful environment that has been prevailing since the Warriors’ contingent touched down at Cairo International Airport that perplexed the German expatriate.

“Going by the information that we got from the media, especially Western media prior to our trip, I did not expect to see peace prevailing here in Egypt.
“But as you can see, we are going about our training in a peaceful environment. No one has been stalking us or giving us problems. The people have been so hospitable and they have created a true sporting environment for us.

“Nonetheless, we are used to it. That is what happens in most cases. Foreign media, especially in Europe, always say negative things about Africa which is not necessarily true,” Pagels said.

Prior to the trip to this North African country, the Zifa board expressed reservations at sending the Warriors to Cairo for a World Cup soccer qualifier against Egypt because of the political tension in the North African country.

In fact, Zifa wrote to the Confederation of African Football (Caf) seeking to have the match moved to a neutral venue because of the reported violent clashes in Egypt. In a recent interview with this newspaper, Zifa boss, Cuthbert Dube, said they feared for the safety of the Zimbabwe players and officials.

“They (Caf) have not responded yet, but informally, I have been told by someone at Fifa that the issue is being taken at the very highest level.
“Because if you watch television everyday the turbulence (in Egypt) seems to be worsening by the day. As Zifa, we would be very comfortable to play the match at a neutral venue. We want a venue that does not have these problems and endanger our players and officials,” said Dube in a recent interview prior to the Warriors trip to Egypt.

Meanwhile, the international football career of Bidvest Wits defender Thomas Sweswe is being negatively affected by the hugely publicised Asigate match-fixing scandal.
Sweswe was handed a life ban by Zifa for his role in a scandal in which national team players were allegedly paid money to lose matches between 2007 and 2009.
In an interview with CAJ News, Zifa chief executive officer Jonathan Mashingaidze revealed that Sweswe was not considered for the Zimbabwe Warriors’ upcoming World Cup qualifier against Egypt.

“Thomas is banned and will not be considered for national duty. He is appealing the ban and there is a process that is underway at the moment,” Mashingaidze said from Harare.