admin
Lovemore Dube, Sports Editor
HARD work and consistency has paid off for four outstanding players in the Castle Lager Premiership campaign after their performances so far earned them a national team call up yesterday. The Warriors technical team in a sure sign of considering present form as a yardstick measure for national team selection, yesterday drafted outstanding Caps United goalkeeper Tafadzwa Dube, brilliant FC Platinum attacking left link Ali Sadiki, hard running How Mine forward Simba Sithole and the country’s top goalscorer Tendai Ndoro.
They were included in the 20-member squad for the Cosafa tournament to be held in Zambia in a fortnight.
The quartet were previously overlooked for bench warming and out of contract players plying their trade in South Africa and Europe.
Dube, Ndoro and Sadiki are expected to be among players who include the Highlanders duo of Masimba Mambare and Munyaradzi Diya, Silas Songani, Devon Chafa and Lot Chiwunga who will be going for trials in South Africa after the tournament.
Zimbabwe clash with Malawi on 13 July in Zambia in the quarter-finals of the tournament.
Sharrif Mussa, the Warriors announced the team yesterday afternoon describing it as the best of locally based stars.
He challenged the boys to take the opportunity to lay a claim to the national team jerseys for future international tournaments. It is a squad of locally based players most of whom will be expected to champion the Zimbabwe cause in the Chan tournament.
“These are the players who caught the attention of the technical team. They have an opportunity to prove themselves in such tournaments such as this one and other regional games,” said Mussa.
Dube will battle it out for the goalkeeping role with Max Nyamupanedengu and Diya. He is the most experienced of the trio and probably the safest pair of hands in the land in the last three years.
His involvement in the Asiagate scandal affected his selection since 2010 but he has since been cleared to play football locally and for the national team.
In defence Felix Chindungwe, has retained his place with Hardlife “Kenya” Zvirekwi, Ocean Mushure, Hwange’s Eric Chipeta, Monomotapa’s Nicholas Guyo and Buffaloes’ stand out player Prosper Matizanadzo.
In midfield Sadiki, one of the most talented players still in Zimbabwe, is expected to call the strings with Devon Chafa who will most probably anchor, while Mambare, Charles Sibanda, Songani, Nicholas Arifandika and Ronald Chitiyo will fight for the other slots.
In the absence of Knowledge Musona, top goalscorer in the Castle Lager Tendai Ndoro will lead the attack with either Sibanda, Chiwunga and Last Chibwiro.
Mussa called on the players to assemble in Harare on 8 July at the Zifa Headquarters before sunset.
“He said they would train in Harare on 9 and 10 July before departing for Zambia.”
To allow the local Premiership programme to flow, the selectors opted for a maximum of two players per team.
Squad Warriors:
Goalkeepers: Maxwell Nyamupanedengu (Harare City), Tafadzwa Dube (Caps United), Munyaradzi Diya (Highlanders)
Defenders: Felix Chindungwe (Chicken Inn), Hardlife Zvirekwi (Caps United), Eric Chipeta (Hwange), Nicholas Guyo (Monomotapa), Prosper Matizanadzo (Buffaloes)
Midfielders: Ali Sadiki (FC Platinum), Masimba Mambare (Highlanders), Devon Chafa (Dynamos), Charles Sibanda (FC Platinum), Ronald Chitiyo (Monomotapa), Nicholas Arifandika (Black Mambas)
Strikers: Simba Sithole (How Mine), Tendai Ndoro (Chicken Inn), Lot Chiwunga (Black Rhinos), Last Chibwiro (Black Mambas).
Online Reporter