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Allen Khumalo, Sports Reporter
FORMER Warriors’ defensive midfielder Tinashe Nengomasha believes the country has enough arsenal to win the 2017 Cosafa Cup tournament that will be staged in South Africa’s North West province from June 25 to July 9.
Zimbabwe are four-time champions of the regional showpiece having won in 2000, 2003, 2005 and 2009. They were drawn in Group B with Seychelles, Mozambique and Madagascar.
Speaking to SuperSport after the draw in South Africa last week, Nengomasha, who was discovered at a Cosafa Under-20 tournament as a 19-year-old and went on to become a big player for both club and country, said Zimbabwe has the right crop of players to win the tournament.
“Zimbabwe are ready for the Cosafa tournament. I think in our country right now we have the right crop to compete with any country as witnessed by our last Afcon performance, although we didn’t reach greater heights than we expected. I feel like the boys are ready to come out and get their talents and careers somewhere else. That is what football is all about. You have to grow as a player and if you get an opportunity to represent your country at a major tournament like the Cosafa Cup, why not grab it with both hands,” Nengomasha said.
This year’s competition will see 13 of the 14 regional bloc’s nations taking part after Comoros Islands withdrew. They will be replaced by Tanzania’s Taifa Stars.
The top teams in each pool will advance to the knock-out stage where they will be joined by the remaining six sides in the quarter-finals, holders South Africa, Botswana, Swaziland, Namibia, Zambia and Lesotho.
South Africa, Botswana, Swaziland and Namibia are the seeded teams in the quarter-finals, meaning they can’t be drawn against each other.
2017 Cosafa draw
Group A: Angola, Malawi, Tanzania, Mauritius
Group B: Zimbabwe, Madagascar, Mozambique, Seychelles
Quarter finals: Botswana vs Zambia, Namibia vs Lesotho, South Africa vs Winner Group A, Swaziland vs Winner Group B.
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