Chronicle Editor
Lovemore Dube, [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]>
IT was another disappointment for Zimbabweans as they saw the Warriors plunge into another defeat and slowly creeping out of the 2026 Fifa World Cup reach when losing 3-1 to Bafana Bafana at Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein, South Africa.
Clear as daylight, what ever experiments were on yesterday about the national team, seriousness must intervene and save Zimbabweans from continued shame.
The game was a must-win match but perhaps entertaining the idea of beating Bafana Bafana at their home was a far-fetched wish. A great crowd of 46 000 fans on a 45 000 seater facility paid to watch the two teams tangle in the 18th Limpopo Derby.
With the win South Africa went one up to celebrate eight wins over Zimbabwe’s seven in their 18 clashes since 1992.
Last night’s result left the Zifa Normalisation Committee starring at the damage they have inflicted on the game. All their technical appointments from Under-20 to the senior team this year have been a mockery of seriousness and the nation is bleeding from the futile Malawi tournament hosted by Zifa in Lilongwe to expose the Warriors.
It was one of too many gaffes by the Licoln Mutasa management team that is now under pressure to end this poor run by the senior national team.
It left the nation hopeless and simply believing that there is no seriousness to Zimbabwe’s number one sport – football. No administration seems to come in to do a real football thing to benefit the game yet the national team activity is a priority as it is a marketing tool for Zimbabwe.
The world gets to view what the nation is doing through the Warriors’ results but unfortunately they have proved to be a light weight opposition down from a top 50 component to an over 100 light flyweight side.
Judging from the on field performance driven by a clueless coaching department whose appointment on its own drew questions, the Zifa Normalisation Committee sunk Zimbabwe to a deplorable low.
Two points out of a possible 12, a draw with Rwanda and a loss to Lesotho, demands immediate action and heads must roll.
Zimbabwe were disappointing in all departments with Geoffrey Chitsumba, the Manicaland Diamonds goalkeeper surprisingly chosen ahead of Donovan Bernard out of sorts and to blame for two of the three goals. A mature goalkeeper could have done better and retaining Bernard would have given the defence a bit of stability.
Devine Lunga was out of sorts on the left flank, Gerald Takwara and Munashe Garan’anga and out of depth Richard Hachiro allowed too many breakthroughs at the centre to leave Zimbabwe gasping for survival on several occasions and were lucky in that South Africans rarely have the bustle to sprint directly at goal as they squandered opportunities by breaking their attacks and momentum to play their flashes game.
Tawanda Charewa Zimbabwe’s goalscorer showed a bit of hope not for the match but for the future.
Expectations are that on arrival or on the way home from an embarrassing excursion, the NC will disband the technical team.
Zimbabwe has so many youngsters who will be ripe for the 2030 World Cup finals who should play the remaining qualifiers and Cosafa for exposure.
The new coach should incalculate a new culture of taking the national team business as a process that takes time and patience to deliver.
He will be expected to show professionalism and transparency in the selection of players and how he manages his camp.
Coaches Jairos Tapera, Takesure Chiragwi and Saul Chaminuka as well as the NC should shoulder the blame for the embarrassing trip to South Africa.
The coaches could not reign in disturbing side shows that took the players’ focus away from the game.
For many years many have called the national team set up a project for others to have their boys capped and exposed and it did not surprise to see players of a low aptitude judging from the small town teams they play for selected ahead of Tanaka Shandirwa, Emmanuel Jalai, Peter Muduhwa.
At full time the Warriors technical team had the cheeky to introduce three players chopping two minutes of added time through the substitutions when the team was already 3-1 down.
It was evident that the introduced players would not even kick the ball as South Africans dominated and kept possession to manage the game.
ends.
Online Reporter