admin
Robson Sharuko Senior Sports Editor
ZIMBABWE’S Warriors might be on the threshold of ending a 10-year absence from the Nations Cup finals, but even as they occupy the driving seat in their group, they find themselves being bombarded by a toxic wave of pessimism from some perennial non-believers and ruthless critics, who argue the team will choke and fail to get over the line.
Social media has been buzzing, in the wake of Guinea’s 2-1 victory over Malawi in Blantyre on Tuesday, with those who prefer to see only darkness, where many see the light, launching a blitzkrieg of pessimistic messages saying that the Warriors’ 2017 Nations Cup campaign was doomed to end in failure.
Even though the Warriors are just one of just 13 teams, who are still unbeaten, after four games of the qualifiers — among the 50 teams in the battles — hasn’t been given the respect that it deserves.
The possibility that Zimbabwe could even secure their ticket to Gabon in June, with a match to play in the Group L qualifiers, should they beat Malawi in Harare and Guinea fail to win in Swaziland on the same weekend, is now being ignored with some even suggesting that the Warriors will become the first team to be consumed by the Flames in this qualifying campaign.
If Zimbabwe beat Malawi on June 4, and Guinea fail to win in Swaziland, then the Warriors will secure the automatic ticket to Gabon with a round of matches to spare even though there would be a possibility that Swaziland, should they beat Guinea and Malawi and the Warriors lose in Guinea, will end with the same number of points (11) as Callisto Pasuwa and his men.
Because the Confederation of African Football are using the head-to-head battles, in the event teams end with the same number of points, Swaziland cannot now qualify for Gabon, ahead of Zimbabwe, should the two teams end with the same tally because, in the head-to-head battles, the Warriors picked four points from their two group matches against Sihlangu.
According to CAF, in the event of teams ending tied on points, tiebreakers will be applied in the following order:
1. — Number of points obtained in games between the teams concerned;
2. — Goal difference in games between the teams concerned;
3.— Goals scored in games between the teams concerned;
4. — Away goals scored in games between the teams concerned;
5. — If, after applying criteria 1 to 4 to several teams, two teams still have an equal ranking, criteria 1 to 4 are reapplied exclusively to the matches between the two teams in question to determine their final rankings. If this procedure does not lead to a decision, criteria 6 to 9 apply;
6. — Goal difference in all games;
7. — Goals scored in all games;
8. — Away goals scored in all games;
9. — Drawing of lots
That is why even though Swaziland have an inferior goal difference to Guinea, after the first four games, Sihlangu remain in second place because, in the head-to-head matches between the two countries, the Swazis emerged triumphant with that shock 2-1 win in Morocco where the West Africans had set up a temporary base after being barred from their Conakry home because of the outbreak of the Ebola virus.
Swaziland and Guinea have five points to their credit with Sihlangu, who have a minus three goal difference, having an inferior goal difference compared to the West Africans (zero), who have scored four and conceded four goals.
Even in the countdown to their match against Swaziland in Harare on Easter Monday, the Warriors had already taken pole position of Group L, although they had the same number of points as Sihlangu, because the away goal Zimbabwe secured in that 1-1 draw at the Somhlolo Stadium had thrust them into a better position than the Swazis in the head-to-head aggregate.
The criteria being used by CAF provides a third scenario in Group L, where Zimbabwe, Guinea and Swaziland can all end on nine points (the Warriors being held by Malawi and losing to Guinea; Guinea drawing against Swaziland and beating Zimbabwe and Swaziland drawing against Guinea and beating Malawi).
Should that happen, all the games which Malawi played in the group will be deemed null and void and another mini-league table, featuring only the games played by the three teams — Zimbabwe, Guinea and Swaziland — will have to be sorted out.
Such a mini-league group will see the three countries ending with five points (won one, drew two and lost one) and then the goal difference, in all the games played, will be the first port of call.
The explosive cyberspace battles that have been raging since Tuesday have even sucked a number of former Zimbabwe football internationals, with one group even being accused of harbouring intense hostility towards Pasuwa and his men who are vying to become only the third group of Warriors to qualify for the Nations Cup finals.
That the Warriors enjoy a three-point cushion, at the top of their group and their fate is firmly in their hands, has been lost in the mayhem of the conspiracy theories from these pessimistic individuals who believe Guinea will win their next two matches, against Sihlangu in Swaziland and Zimbabwe in Conakry, to secure the automatic ticket to Gabon next year.
Suddenly, the fact that Sihlangu have become unbeatable at home, of late, including holding Nigeria to a draw in a 2018 World Cup qualifier, is now being conveniently ignored by this group of latter-day prophets of doom who only see positives, for the West Africans and negatives for the Warriors.
That the Warriors are the only team, with room for error, who can even afford to drop points — from their last two matches while the others cannot afford to lose any point — in the intensity of the final two group matches appears to be escaping the arguments, by design or by default, of those who now say they will collapse and fail to secure a ticket to Gabon.
Interestingly, while there appears to be so much pessimism for the Warriors, who have eight points with a home game on the way, Bafana Bafana, who have just three points and are winless in the four matches they have played so far, are refusing to throw in the towel that they are out of the battles for a place in Gabon.
“If we talk about the end of the road, it’s not the right thing to say. We still have another six points to play for,” Bafana Bafana coach Shakes Mashaba told journalists this week.
“We’re sitting on three points currently. If we win the next two games, we sit on nine and hope that we can get the two slots for the two second-best teams. We’re not going to throw in the towel.
“Anything in football could happen.”
When he was told that Benin already are on eight points and in second place in their group, while other four teams are sitting on seven, it was probably unrealistic for Bafana Bafana to dream of qualifying by grabbing one of the two runners-up slots, Mashaba refused to budge.
“Let me ask you whose reality is it going to be, mine or yours? You’re ruling us out on speculation. In football anything can happen,” said Mashaba.
While there is pessimism in Zimbabwe, it’s interesting to note that across the Limpopo, there is admiration for where the Warriors — who do not have a corporate sponsor like South African Airways and, in recent months, have had to rely on the benevolence of Harare businessman Wicknell Chivayo, are right now and these chats among Bafana Bafana fans hammer home that message:
MOZY BUJU MANGWAIRA
Only if you borrow Billiat, Mahachi, Katsande, Musona, Malajila from the Warriors (can Bafana qualify)
LESOLE MABENA
Khune (Itumeleng) must watch how other ‘keepers deal with corner kicks and free-kicks, for example that young Zim goalkeeper. He is good, I think Khune can learn when to come out of his post not to just stand flat-footed like that. It doesn’t show any experience at all.
KING ROYAL MASULUKE
Why play 3-5-2 every game. Look at other countries playing 4-3-3 like Zimbabwe and doing well.
SIPENATHI ANOH DAWANA MOYO
Mashaba doesn’t have strikers. Gabuza is a cow. Get Tendai Ndoro from Zim. He has no place in Zimbabwe because of Musona and Mushekwi.
SOZE_BAWINE
So hurt especially when Zim is doing well.
DECO MOKWALATSIE
All the facilities gone to worst yet Zimbabwe with no good stadium qualifies.
Online Reporter