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Grace Chingoma
Senior Sports Reporter
MIGHTY Warriors coach Sithetheliwe “Kwinji 15” Sibanda will be banking on foreign-based players when the Zimbabwe national women’s football team meet Botswana in the Africa Women Cup of Nations last qualifying round this month.
Zimbabwe host Botswana on February 18 at the National Sports Stadium.
They then travel to Francistown for the reverse fixture that will be played at Obedi Chitani Chilume stadium on February 23.
The team that wins the double-legged matches qualifies for the women’s version of the Africa Cup of Nations that will be staged in Morocco in July.
The four teams that reach the semi-finals in Morocco automatically qualify for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup finals.
Yesterday, ZIFA released a 30-member experienced squad that was picked by Sibanda. In that squad, there are four players that are plying their trade outside the country.
The quartet of skipper Turkey-based Emmaculate Msipa, Israel-based Rudo Neshamba, Nigeria-based Berita Kabwe and Danai Bhobho, who is playing in the Tanzanian league, has been included in the squad.
They are expected to join camp on February 14 when the FIFA international break begins. The locally-based players trooped into camp yesterday and are camped at Pandhari Lodge. They are expected to begin training today once they finish Covid-19 and other related medical tests.
Sibanda believes the foreign-based players, who are active at their clubs, will bring gritty to the team that is regrouping after three months.
The Mighty Warriors were last in action towards the end of October last year. They beat Eswatini 6-1 in the first round of the AWCON qualifiers.
“We are hoping that the foreign-based players will come. Maybe they will come later, as the first leg approaches, but the fact that they are active in their leagues will provide us with the much-needed fitness ahead of this game. Our local players have been restricted to mainly social games since our league is not yet running. As long as these players, who are playing abroad, are in form, they are better placed compared to the local players,” said Sibanda.
The former Mighty Warriors midfielder, however, believes she has somewhere to start from, having played in the COSAFA Women Championships and also against Eswatini last year in October.
She retained the majority of players that were part of those games.
“It is good to regroup again. Our first port of call is to raise the fitness level of the team since the players are coming from the festive season. The fitness levels are very low as there was no action at the clubs,” said Sibanda. Zimbabwe last participated at the AWCON finals in 2016 in Cameroon.
Zimbabwe reached the semi-finals of that tournament.
Mighty Warriors Squad
Goalkeepers: Lindiwe Magwede (Herentals Queens) Cynthia Shonga (Harare City Queens) Precious Mudyiwa (Black Rhinos Queens) Leona Bhunu (Bulawayo Chiefs).
Defenders: Nobukhosi Ncube (Correctional Queens) Egness Tumbare, Moreblessing Bwende (Harare City Queens) Edeline Mutumbami, Vimbai Mharadzi, Liliosa Kandemiri (Blue Swallows Queens) Talent Mukwanda (Herentals Queens) Purity Mugayi, Eunice Chibanda (Black Rhinos Queens).
Midfielders: Emmaculate Msipa (Fatih Karagümrük Spor Kulübü, Turkey) Marjory Nyaumwe (Correctional Queens) Shyline Dambamuromo, Alice Moyo (Faith Drive Queens) Mavis Chirandu, Priviledge Mupeti (Black Rhinos Queens) Danai Bhobho (Simba Queens, Tanzania) Ennerty Chemhere (Ubuntu Queens) Berita Kabwe (Rivers Angels, Nigeria).
Strikers: Rudo Neshamba (Ramat Hasharon WFC, Israel) Maudy Mafuruse, Melody Chikoore (Faith Drive Queens) Christabel Katona, Rutendo Makore (Black Rhinos Queens) Dinah Rose Banda (Queen Lozikeyi Academy) Natasha Ndowa (Blue Swallows Queens) Shamiso Mutasa (Herentals Queens).
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