admin1. The fact of something not working as it should.
2. The fact of not doing something you should have done.
3. A lack of success in doing something.
4. The fact of not doing something that you must do or are expected to do.
All the above define failure. No one would want to be associated with it, failure that is.
Failure in any form or in whatever way is not acceptable. It is despised. Failure in a military operation can result in death or serious injury to those who would have failed or more sadly even to innocent soldiers who would have had faith in the person tasked with leading the operation.
Many times we always hear of such phrases as “failure is not an option.” Failure surely must not be idolised. Failure must not be worshipped. Failure must not be tolerated.
My worry though is that as Zimbabweans we seem to do exactly the opposite whenever failure manifests itself.
We seem, as a people to be blinded by empathy and then forget the bigger picture. For many years now we have been living in football pain, always being so near yet so far. In our 36 years of self-rule, we have qualified just thrice for the African Nations Cup, the first being in 2004, second in 2006 and most recently for the 2017 finals under Callisto Pasuwa.
It is the latest qualification which is the subject of my writing this week, with a bias towards Pasuwa. He has led us to the Afcon 2017 finals. We are indeed celebrating as a country. The latest feat comes a decade since we last qualified for the prestigious continental football showcase.
We are happy. My question now is can Pasuwa deliver us to the Promised Land in Gabon? Can we trust him to lead us against the continent’s cream? Can the man stand up and be counted among the continent’s elite? All these questions demand answers.
Pasuwa, like any other human beings has his weaknesses and it is those weaknesses that have haunted him at the grand stage, where it matters most.
At club level, the gaffer did extremely well on the domestic scene, cruising to four consecutive league titles with The Glamour Boys, Dynamos. It is a feat that no local coach has achieved and it’s possible that the record will stay for a very long time. For that, I most certainly salute him.
However, with the same players and even a few additions, he came short on the international scene, bowing out in the early stages of the Caf Champions League. His first dance was in 2012 when DeMbare were pummeled 7-1 on aggregate by giants Esperance which meant they now had to go down to the second tier African competition, the Confederation Cup.
Again it proved too difficult a job for the Dynamos coach as they were knocked out well before the group stages, going down 0-1 on aggregate to Angola’s InterClubbe. The Harare giants were back again in the hunt for continental glory in 2013 but alas, it was another miserable exit at the hands of Tunisian side CA Bizertin who progressed 3-1 on aggregate.
We have just been eliminated from the Cosafa Castle Cup in Namibia but just because it’s Pasuwa, all is okay.
The Namibian tournament, for the record, is the third tournament in succession that we have been knocked out in group stages under Pasuwa. Never mind that he was not physically in charge in South Africa but he picked that squad that went with Saul Chaminuka and we know that he followed the tournament closely and would even tell the guys there what to do. To me, it was still Pasuwa in charge but in the form of Chaminuka. As far as I am concerned it was just the same as a suspended coach; he will not sit on the bench but the team would have been his.Records show that the Warriors have played a total of nine games in the three tournaments, Cosafa 2015, Chan 2016 and Cosafa 2016.
Of the nine the Warriors have won just three games. Honestly, just three! We call this success? What amount of failure do we need as Zimbabweans to realise that we are going nowhere?
Yes, he led us to the finals but we all know that even long back, we had missionaries who will go out to set up churches but once the church is set, they would move on and let others lead that church.
I believe that the man has some luck yes but he needs help and needs it fast. Those in charge of football in this country need to equip Pasuwa, if they will keep him, with the right technical brains in terms of personnel.
A lot of issues need to be looked at before we touch down in Gabon, chiefly the technical bench. If it means keeping him as head coach, since people feel national pride must not be compromised simply because someone went through hell in his bid to make sure the country qualifies and therefore his weaknesses must not be highlighted, technically proven minds must be appointed to assist him. Not that there is anything wrong with Mkhuphali Masuku but he is still learning the ropes at this grand stage and surely against the likes of Ivory Coast, Algeria, Angola, Morocco just to mention a few, can our bench stand the heat?
Afcon is not an experimental tournament; it is THE tournament, not to be toyed with.
Perhaps there are other reasons why Pasuwa has not been performing well at international level, a reason which we are all itching to know. If it was only at national team level, I would have suspected pressure from some powerful agents who might influence his selection but even at club level, it has been the same, he has failed.
As I alluded to earlier on, we are still celebrating our qualification for Afcon2017, which came courtesy of Pasuwa but that must not blind us into thinking that where we are going will be the same.
A front-end loader is always a darling when it comes to the construction of a road but once it’s done, nobody wants to see it there, such is life!
I personally don’t think Pasuwa will have any issues with working with veteran and proven Sunday Chidzambwa. I certainly don’t think so.
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