Online Reporter
Collin Matiza
Zimpapers Sports Hub
UK-BASED Zimbabwean football scout and player developer, Jomo Dyson Dzapasi, yesterday praised the local football setup despite the Warriors recent defeat by Nigeria.
Zimbabwe were outplayed by the Super Eagles of Nigeria who beat them 2-0 in the semi-finals of the Four-Nation Unity Cup at The Valley Stadium in London on Tuesday night.
The Warriors interim head coach, Kaitano Tembo, fielded a number of fringe players in that match but came under some criticism following this defeat by Nigeria.
But Dzapasi, who was among scores of UK-based Zimbabweans who were at the Valley Stadium on Tuesday night, defended Tembo “for making a bold move” of fielding these youngsters.
He also praised ZIFA for involving the Warriors in this international football tournament which is also involving Jamaica and India.
The tournament ends this weekend.
“I have seen or heard many people attacking the coach, Kaitano Tembo, and attacking ZIFA, but I genuinely believe this is the best ZIFA leadership we have witnessed in a very long time.
“Thumbs up to a true professional, (ZIFA president) Nqobile Magwizi, who has completely surpassed our expectations.
“Arranging such a high-profile game in the UK, where there is a massive following for the Zimbabwe Warriors, speaks volumes about how ZIFA embraces its people in the diaspora.
“Furthermore, these matches are meant for coaches to experiment and test youngsters. Let us be objective when we criticize coaches,” Dzapasi told Zimpapers Sports Hub from his base in Leeds, England, yesterday.
He went on to say: “Nigeria is a powerhouse national team, boasting a massive pool of players across Europe’s top divisions, including France, England, Belgium, Sweden, Holland, Turkey, Portugal, Denmark, Spain, and Italy.
“Nigeria fielded a formidable squad drawn from these elite leagues, and they even have the luxury of overlooking top-tier players based in major African footballing nations like South Africa, Egypt, Morocco, and Tunisia.
“This was never going to be an easy game for Zimbabwe. We are simply outnumbered when it comes to the sheer volume of high-quality players compared to a team like Nigeria, who sit at the same level as Morocco and Senegal in that regard.
“Until we reach a level where we also have dozens of players in top European divisions, we cannot expect to compete on equal footing with giants like Nigeria.”
Instead, Dzapasi said people or critics must applaud the ZIFA leadership, led by Magwizi, for their relentless efforts to track down diaspora talent and blend them “with our best local players to build a strong national team”.
“The man (Magwizi) is delivering. Recently, ZIFA extended an invitation to Wolverhampton Wanderers’ Ethan Sutherland, who unfortunately couldn’t make it due to injury. Can we blame ZIFA for that? Not at all.
“We have a good interim head coach and a great assistant in Takesure Chirangwi. “Zimbabwe’s footballing future is safe. Just because we lost to Nigeria — a country with over 100 players in Europe’s top leagues —people claim the coach is bad, which is entirely unfair.
“Look at the massive positives from the recent tactical approach:
Ethan Sutherland: He was invited from Wolves despite his injury, proving that the technical team is actively tracking elite diaspora talent.
Sean Fusire: He gave vital minutes to the 20-year-old midfielder, who showed he has a massive future ahead of him.
Cobbie Mthunsi: He started the 18-year-old at center-back, and the youngster performed incredibly well under pressure.
Shane Marodza & Mongameli Tshuma: He integrated Marodza (23) and Tshuma (24), blooding even more young talent into the senior international setup.
“We need to focus on these kinds of positive building blocks.”
“Dambudziko kune vamwe vedu vane mashave ekushora zvakanaka.”
Dzapasi emphasised that ZIFA must expand their talent search globally, specifically targeting Australia’s top-division A-League, where several Zimbabwean players are currently active.
To facilitate this, Dzapasi’s PYE Football Scouting is eager to support ZIFA by sharing vital player data with key partners like Team Zimbabwe UK and the Zimbabwean Embassy in London.
This collaborative effort, Dzapasi said, focuses on tracking elite prospects within top UK clubs, including Christian Clarke (Nottingham Forest Under-21), Junior Kuzanga (Southampton Under-18/21), Nathan Dlamini (Blackburn Rovers), and Ethan Kachosa, a talented 23-year-old alumnus of the Sunderland and Leeds United academies.
