Online Reporter
Tadious Manyepo
Zimpapers Sports Hub
WARRIORS coach Marian “Mario” Marinica has expressed satisfaction with what he has seen so far as Zimbabwe scale up preparations for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations football jamboree in Morocco.
Marinica has since Sunday been working with the bulk of the locally-based contingent and a few early birds from the foreign legion.
He said he was happy with how all players in camp were responding to his methods as he prepares for their Group B assignments at the tournament which starts in 16 days.
The Romanian gaffer has called up a huge pool of players, including six goalkeepers from which he will pick the 28-man squad to travel for the biennial jamboree that runs from December 21 to January 18 in the North African country.
Marinica is not paying much attention to institutional memory, but has since revealed that he will be looking to include players, regardless of prior national team experience, who can fit into his philosophy.
The ex-Malawi and Liberia coach was looking to have all the players he has called into camp by Sunday before FIFA in consultation with CAF changed goalposts and made it clear that teams will only be mandated to release players for AFCON finals by December 15.
This has since forced Marinica to alter his plans with the current camp set to break for two days from tomorrow.
The squad will then reassemble on Monday when a send-off dinner is expected to be held for the team.
ZIFA indicated via a statement yesterday that they had been revising their itinerary.
“The plans which were in place have been slightly altered. The camp was supposed to break on Friday (today) before resuming with all the players expected to join in on Sunday.
“But with the new player release regulations now in place, the team will break camp on Saturday (tomorrow) and resume on Monday.
“Meanwhile everything is going on well so far with most of the players called up training well.
“We will avail more information as we go but we can tell you that every player in camp will return on Monday.
“This will give the technical team more time with the players to further assess them and align them with their playing style,” ZIFA said.
Captain Marvelous Nakamba was expected to join the squad last night along with Finland-based Prosper Padera.
The Luton Town star had told Zimpapers Sports Hub before catching his flight home that; “It is always a pleasure playing for the country and fighting for the badge.
“I am excited with this prospect and I am eager to do well for the country. I am ready for national duty.’’
Nakamba missed the Warriors last Nations Cup sojourn in Cameroon in 2022 and is relishing the prospects of bouncing back to the biggest football tournament on the continent.
“I missed out the last time out and I know I have to give it my all for the sake of the country and the national colours.
“I will be in camp with my teammates and that is the best feeling I am carrying around right now,” Nakamba said.
Several local players have so far been dropped due to injury concerns and these include Tymon Machope, Emmanuel Jalai, Xolani Ndlovu, Andrew Mbeba, Junior Makunike and Donovan Bernard.
Jalai who is fresh from leading Dynamos to a third straight Chibuku Super Cup success was, however, expected to be assessed by the national team doctors last night to check whether he could recover in time to play a part at the Nations Cup.
There was no such joy for the likes of Machope, Mbeba, Ndlovu and Benard as they have been ruled out of AFCON contention.
This is because Marinica isn’t taking any chances ahead of the continental fiesta.
Marinica has been mandated to lead the Warriors through to the group stages.
Zimbabwe has never made it beyond this group stage in five previous attempts that began with their debut at the competition in Tunisia in 2004.
But in Marinica the Warriors have a coach who has been there after he managed to shepherd Malawi to the Round of 16 in Cameroon in 2022.
That was the only time he coached at the AFCON finals and hopes are high that he will be able to lead Zimbabwe beyond the initial group.
Zimbabwe are in Group B along with neighbours South Africa, Angola and seven-time champions Egypt.
