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Grace Chingoma Senior Sports Reporter
THE injury-hit Young Warriors began their training camp yesterday with coach Callisto Pasuwa hoping that some of the players will recover to face South Africa in the last qualifying round of the Africa Under-23 Championships at Rufaro on Sunday.
The African Championships will be held this December in Senegal and the three top teams at the end are set to get automatic tickets to play at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
The fourth placed team will feature in the playoffs with qualifiers from Asia for the remaining ticket for the Summer Games.
The Young Warriors got their preparations underway yesterday but the technical team had to grapple with fresh problems as five players, who include Dynamos defender Blessing Moyo (hamstring), goalkeeper Tatenda Mukuruva (hip injury), Marshal Mudehwe (ankle), Tinotenda Kadewere (hamstring) and Farai Madhananga (swollen eye), reported for camp with injuries.
And while the medical team was yet to give a full report on all the players who are injured, Flame Lily left-back Edwin Madhananga was yesterday ruled out by the team doctor.
Pasuwa will be hoping that the other players will make it as time is no longer on his side to call for replacements at a time he was already battling out with some combinations in the team.
Young Warriors skipper Wisdom Mutasa and Walter Musona, who have been in Slovakia for the past three weeks on trials, are expected tomorrow afternoon.
“We have called about 24 players but we will hear from the doctor after he assesses all the injured players.
“We have a case of Ronald Pfumbidzai, he was supposed to have gone over the weekend and they were trying to negotiate whether he can delay a bit and go after the game but there were some problems as he has to go for pre-season.
“But there is also this fear that he could pick an injury before he leaves for his new club and maybe it is better to excuse him so that he goes and start a new life with his new club.
“Marvelous Nakamba communicated he can’t be with us. They have already started pre-season,” said Pasuwa.
However, the former Dynamos mentor heaved a huge sigh of relief as one of his foreign-based players Kuda Mahachi of Mamelodi Sundowns reported for duty and began training with the rest of the team after he flew in yesterday morning from Johannesburg.
Mahachi has been in Pasuwa’s plans since the Under-23 qualifiers began early this year.
He had also included him in the All-Africa Games qualifiers but the player could not make it as all the games were not part of the FIFA calendar and he could not be released by his club.
But yesterday Mahachi joined his teammates for a mid morning session at sewage infested Gwanzura which had poodles of the waste sprayed with some chemicals to try and contain the foul smell.
This, however, could not deter the Young Warriors who got down to business under their technical team.
A total of 20 players reported for training yesterday.
Pasuwa said he has minimum time to work with the team but again will have to plot the downfall of Amaglug-glug.
“I think the number of days we are left with to train, that is four days, is not good for us. Already I am seeing some of the boys are injured.
“They had games during the weekend and half of the team you can see they are injured. And I don’t know if I am going to get some of the players who have gone on trials.
“It is the combinations now which will count when we play South Africa. So we need to put everything in place. South Africa have been in camp since last week and they are organised,” he said.
But Pasuwa, who has already qualified for the Africa Games with the Under-23 team, would be hoping that his side makes history and qualify for the Africa Under-23 Championships, which are crucial as they have a ticket to the Olympics.
“It is the way we prepare, the way we do our business which determines if we can qualify. Most of our boys play in South Africa, they are our bogey side but in football anything can happen,” said Pasuwa.
Online Reporter