admincheer the Warriors in Cape Verde, despite getting lukewarm response from sponsors, and revealed that they had now taken their begging bowl to the Government.
There was a flurry of activity at their headquarters at 20 Lanark Road in Belgravia as scores of fans tried to find out if they would be travelling to cheer the Warriors.
The game in Cape Verde has triggered big match fever across Harare.
ZNSSA want to send 200 fans to Cape Verde to cheer the Warriors and they believe their presence will have a huge effect on the team’s quest to win the match. The Warriors battled for a 1-1 draw in Liberia, where they were cheered by a contingent of local fans who flew on a chartered Air Zimbabwe flight, but they lost 0-1 in Mali where they did not have their supporters to back them.
The ZNSSA leadership said they had been assured by Air Zimbabwe that a Boeing 767 could be provided to fly the fans to Cape Verde but the cost of chartering the plane is beyond the association’s means.
Yesterday ZNSSA leader Eddie “Mboma” Nyatanga and his deputy, Paddington Japajapa, said they were still bullish that their campaign to get fans to Cape Verde will bear fruit.
“We are calling upon the corporate world in Zimbabwe to kindly assist us with funds to cater for airfares for 200 soccer supporters who will accompany the national soccer team for their do-or-die match with Cape Verde,” said Nyatanga in a statement.
“We are calling upon all big or small companies in Zimbabwe to kindly assist with cash as this will go towards covering costs for chartering an Air Zimbabwe plane to-and-from Cape Verde.
“The quotation for chartering a plane from Harare to Praia in Cape Verde costs US$310 000.
The ZNSSA vice-president, Mr Paddington Japajapa, is making frantic efforts to make sure that 200 supporters will make the trip on Friday.
“The supporters are the 12th player whose contribution to the outcome of this game is very crucial.
“This match is a do-or-die game which every soccer loving Zimbabwean must support, either in cash or kind. We are making a passionate plea to the Government of Zimbabwe, through the Minister of Finance, Mr
Tendai Biti, to kindly assist with the US$310 000 urgently required to cover the airfares for the fans. We are challenging big and successful companies like Econet Wireless, ZMDC, MMCZ to come forward and assist us in raising the required US$310 000 for the airfares for the fans who are supposed to be in Praia by Friday.
“It is the responsibility of the Government of Zimbabwe and the people of Zimbabwe to make sure the national soccer team qualifies for AFCON 2012 in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon.”
Japajapa said the Warriors had done so well so far and needed the familiar voice of their fans to push them across the finishing line in Praia.
“We have put in place a code of conduct for all supporters who will be traveling with the national team. Wherever we go, we will be ambassadors of the country and anyone on board will have to behave
professionally. If there is anything to be paid for, then a proper briefing will be made to the fans in advance.”
ZNSSA operations director and security chief, Fortune “Giant” Bgwoni, said while they had done the logistics and mobilised the fans, funding the programme had proved an assignment too tough for them.
“What is lacking is only the funding and we are appealing to all soccer loving Zimbabweans, and we know some of them head big companies, to come forward and help in this national cause,” said Bgwoni.
“We have accompanied our national team in the past to countries like Tunisia, Rwanda, Gabon, Mauritania, Mali and Malawi, just to name a few, and it has been proven that it works better for the team as most of these trips produced good results for the boys.
“We hope to hold a media conference on Thursday to inform the nation about our progress.”
Online Reporter