admindespite the Warriors’ failure to qualify for the 2012 Nations Cup finals to be jointly hosted by Gabon and Equatorial Guinea next year.
Dube yesterday said Zifa were going back to the drawing board to start planning for the 2013 Nations Cup and the 2014 World Cup qualifiers with the current technical team in mind.
Zimbabwe finished their campaign with eight points from six games and Mali pulled through from the group with 10 points, equal with Cape Verde, who lost out on the head-to-head analysis.
The Warriors’ fate was sealed at the weekend when they lost 2-1 to Cape Verde.
However, Dube maintained that Zifa still have faith in Mapeza and the current crop of the Warriors.
“We are not going to fire our coaches,” said Dube.
“I think they did reasonably well although we failed to make it. Instead what we need now is to start planning ahead because we have the 2013 Afcon and the 2014 World Cup qualifiers coming up. All these campaigns need planning ahead,” said Dube.
The Zifa president acknowledged the disappointment as Zimbabwe will not be part of the continental football jamboree next year after finishing third in Group A behind Mali and Cape Verde. Zimbabwe won two matches, drew two and lost two in the qualifying campaign.
The campaign, which kicked off slowly, was marred in the early stages by the confusion in the appointment of the team’s coach.
Zimbabwe drew their first game against Liberia 1-1 away under Mapeza but they shot themselves in the foot with the confusion that surrounded the appointment and subsequent deportation of Belgian Tom
Saintfiet, when the team was preparing for the home tie against Cape Verde, which ended 0-0 at the National Sports Stadium.
Dube, however, believes they have to turn over a new leaf following the disappointing campaign and called on the Government and the corporate world to avail more funding to the national team.
“We have to start planning now. Our team lost but we must not lose heart. You may agree with me that we have a very good team, which we need to keep intact for the foreseeable future but our preparations need to improve.
“I am told that they played well in the second half but unfortunately we had conceded goals early.
“But I think where we really lost it is when we played Cape Verde here. If we had won that match we could have done ourselves a splendid job.
“In the end, we needed to beat Cape Verde away but if you look at the history of that island nation you will discover that many teams that go there struggle to win because of the conditions.
“So planning was very important. We should have gone there early and spent at least one week to acclimatise with the conditions but it all comes back to the issue of funding,” said Dube.
The team was supposed to leave last Monday but the association could not secure enough funds on time before Government came to their rescue.
“We would like to thank the Government for flying the team and we urge the corporate world to come in a big way. The team only managed to train for two days in Cape Verde when other nations can travel a week
or two before the game and it all comes back to what we have always alluded to – funding.
“We are going to present our budgets this week. Zifa must operate with a budget where the Government also chips in. The corporate world should also come on board like what happens in other countries such as
South Africa or Nigeria. Those teams are seriously funded by the Government and the corporate world. We also need to pay particular attention to junior development,” said Dube.
Online Reporter