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Grace Chingoma Senior Sports Reporter
AS Zimbabwe prepares to celebrate 40 years of freedom, the first captain of the Warriors in the post-Independence era, Sunday “Mhofu” Chidzambwa, believes it’s high time the country qualifies for the World Cup finals.
Although it took the nation 23 years to qualify for the AFCON finals, Chidzambwa, who finally took Zimbabwe to the Promised Land in 2004, believes great strides have been made.
And, he believes it’s a matter of when before the team makes history again and qualifies for the World Cup finals.
Chidzambwa is an iconic figure in Zimbabwean football — the only coach to lead a local football team to the final of a continental club tournament, when Dynamos came within 90 minutes of being crowned African champions in 1998.
He also ended the Warriors’ lengthy wait for a place at the Nations Cup finals.
The veteran gaffer last year returned to the Nations Cup again with the Warriors to become the only coach to guide them at that showcase twice.
“It took us time, 23 years to qualify for a major tournament like AFCON,’’ he said yesterday.
“We are left with World Cup and I don’t think we are very far from doing that. However, there is need for continuity for us to make that progress.
“ZIFA should not devote time to fighting people like Philip Chiyangwa because we don’t benefit anything from such squabbles.
“ZIFA is a public football office which should not be for personal clashes and that’s why I believe our leaders, the past and the current president, should iron out their differences and work together.’’
However, the veteran coach is concerned that there is very little attention being given to reviving junior football.
“The economy has not been performing well but, honestly, we are to blame for failing to recognise the importance of our grassroots,’’ he said.
“The issue of junior players is really an important issue.
“Most of these good players came from the juniors, I still remember at Dynamos when we promoted players like Clayton Munemo and Memory Mucherahohwa, they came straight from the Under-18 team.
“They never played in the reserve team. And, players like David Mandigora, also came from Under -18 straight to the first team.
“Khama (Billiat) and Knowledge (Musona) came from Aces Academy. We need to go back to the junior policy.
“I always see former players like Dickson Choto and others here at Raylton conducting their meetings for the Under-21 team, and I heard clubs like CAPS United, Black Rhinos have joined in.
“It is a good initiative but such efforts and programmes should be led by the mother body and adopted into the national frame work.’’
The former Dynamos defender says some of the fly-by-night administrators, who are in the game for fame and money, did not have the patience to nurture grassroots football
“I remember one official from Dynamos, he was a vice-chairman and he remarked that he was not interested in the junior players because by the time the players graduated into the first team, his term would have long expired.
“I really laughed when I was told that story. I was no longer at the club but that makes you wonder that, if a football administrator can say that, then our football is in the wrong hands.’’
Chidzambwa has had an on-and-off romance with the national team since 1985.
The Warriors have had a lot of success in the regional tournament, the COSAFA Cup, which they have won a record five times.
Online Reporter