MARINICA IN AFCON SQUAD DILEMMA . . . Injuries to key players rock coach’s plans

Eddie Chikamhi

Zimpapers Sports Hub

WARRIORS coach Marian “Mario” Marinica says he faces a hectic period in the run-up to the Africa Cup of Nations 2025 tournament, which kicks off in Morocco in 11 days, because of the uncertainty of injuries in his squad and the limited time to tie the loose ends in the team’s preparations.

The Romanian gaffer is set to conduct his final assessment of his troops today before settling for his final squad that has to be submitted to the Confederation of African Football before the lapse of the deadline tomorrow.

According to the competition rules, the squads have to be submitted 10 days before the kick-off of the tournament, set to run between December 21 and January 18.

Late submissions attract a US$10 000 fine.

“Well, at the moment we have 32 players and we are expecting seven or so more players that we have to see . . . But after Wednesday (today), we’ll be having to make the final call and the final list,” said Marinica.

The gaffer was speaking on the sidelines of a send-off dinner hosted for the Warriors.

The participating teams are allowed to name up to 28 players, although CAF will only cater for 23 players in terms of travel, accommodation, and other competition-related logistics.

However, the misalignment between the CAF deadline and the FIFA deadline for the mandatory release of players, which has been set for next Monday, has caused problems for many African coaches in terms of decision-making.

Marinica said he had to abandon his plans for a prolonged camp due to the unavailability of most of the foreign-based players.

The Warriors were, however, boosted by the arrival of the South Africa contingent at the resumption of the training camp on Monday.

Also in camp now is captain Marvellous Nakamba, Teenage Hadebe, Macauley Bonne, Prosper Padera and Alec Mudimu.

But there were fresh fears following the injury of Jordan Zemura, just 15 minutes into the Serie-A match between his team Udinese and Genoa in an Italian Serie-A match on Monday evening.

The extent of the injury was not immediately established.

But the Warriors received “not so good” news from English Premiership side Wolverhampton Wanderers over Zimbabwe vice-captain Marshall Munetsi, who picked up a calf injury in a league match against Nottingham Forest last week.

Munetsi was unavailable to face Manchester United on Monday as his side were thumped 4-1.

Wolves manager Rob Edwards yesterday hinted the midfielder could be out for a longer period.

“It’ll be weeks. I don’t know how many at the moment but I think at the moment it’s looking like at least six weeks,” Edwards told the British media.

That would effectively mean Munetsi will not be able to join the Warriors for the Nations Cup tournament. The Warriors are set to leave for Morocco next Tuesday and Marinica predicts highly taxing schedules in the final week.

“We travel on the 16th (next Tuesday). We’ll be arriving on the 17th, when CAF says that the official camping in Morocco starts. That means on the 16th and 17th (Tuesday and Wednesday), you can’t do any training session.

“On the 18th (Thursday), we will do a recovery session, a light session. On the 19th is when we conduct the training session; you could do so under the CAF schedule.

“On the 20th, we’re going to be travelling from Marrakech to Agadir. On the 21st is match day minus one. So, it’s just a little bit of a training session.

“On the 22nd, we play (against Egypt). So basically, in five days, you have only one training session. Afterwards, we come back on the 23rd.

“On the 24th, we could do a training session. On the 25th is match day minus one. On the 26th, we play (against Angola). So basically, two training sessions only.

“And then on the 27th is a recovery session. On the 28th, match day minus one and the 29th, another match (versus South Africa),” said Marinica.

The Warriors were drawn in Group B, alongside neighbours South Africa, Angola and Egypt. As was the case at the 2019 AFCON the Warriors will open their account with a date against the Pharoahs, who are record seven-time African champions.

That December 22 game is scheduled for the 45 000-seater Grand Stade d’Agadir in the coastal city of Agadir.

Angola’s Palancas Negras will be next in line on Boxing Day at the Grand Stade de Marrakech in Marrakech, which is about 250 km from Agadir.

Zimbabwe’s final Group B match will be the Battle of the Limpopo derby clash against rivals South Africa on December 29, also at Grand Stade de Marrakech.

“So, we play three very competitive matches in seven days, but we have only two training sessions in 12 days. From that point of view, it’s a little bit difficult to know how to integrate the players; you have the players changing strategy from one to another.

“That’s the reason the pre-camp would have been fantastic, because basically we were to have all the players.

“We’d be able to plan for all three matches in one go and just do tweaking here and there,” said Marinica.

The Warriors will be targeting to progress from the group stage for the first time, on their sixth attempt.

“But at the end of the day, it is what it is. We have to work hard and try to, as much as possible, compete with what we have.

“But having said that, we’re still positive. We hope to qualify (for the knock-out stages). That’s the reason we go there.

“We don’t go there to be losers. We go there to win matches. And that’s my philosophy. Hopefully, we’re going to get there.

“So, what actually is important, everyone, to stay behind us, to sustain us, to help us, and as much as possible, to believe in us,” said Marinica.