Chronicle Editor
Grace Chingoma Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE’S Warriors were handed a fair start to their bid for a place at the 2015 African Cup of Nations when they were paired against Tanzania in the first round of the qualifying campaign. In a draw conducted by the Confederation of African Football in Egypt yesterday, Ian Gorowa’s men will face the East Africans away first on the weekend of May 16-18 before hosting the reverse fixture a fortnight later.
The Warriors will then face the winner between new entrants South Sudan and Mozambique in the second round with the team that triumphs at that stage proceeding to the final phase of qualifiers — the group stage.
The second round matches would be played on the weekend of July 18-20 and August 1-3 for the reverse fixtures.
If Zimbabwe also win in this second knockout round they will join northern neighbours Zambia who are the seeded team in a Group F that also includes Cape Verde and Niger.
But before they can turn their focus on the final phase of the qualifiers, the Warriors would have to clear the first two hurdles on a step by step basis with Tanzania standing in the way in mid next month.
Gorowa, whose future with the Warriors has been thrown into uncertainty following lack of progress on contract between Zifa and the gaffer, declined to comment on the outcome of the draw.
Ironically, though, Tanzania were one of the teams that Gorowa’s men played in their build-up to the second tier African Nations Championships in South Africa.
While they may not have had to call on all their legion of foreign-based stars for the CHAN games, the Warriors will now be able to call upon the likes of Khama Billiat, Willard Katsande, Washington Arubi, Costa Nhamoinesu, Edward Sadomba, Carlington Nyadombo and Cuthbert Malajila and blend them with the CHAN heroes when the Nations Cup qualifiers begin.
Although Gorowa chose not to discuss the outcome of the draw, team manager Shariff Mussa expressed satisfaction with having to be paired against Tanzania but insisted that preparations had to start in earnest.
Mussa also warned that the Warriors could only take Tanzania lightly at their peril.
“All the countries were waiting for the draw and anticipating avoiding the big names in football but there are no longer big teams or small teams in football.
“We got Tanzania. We are happy but we mustn’t let complacency creep in. They are coming up as a team. But we need to start preparing now and carry on from where we left at the CHAN tournament blending the local players and the foreign based. It is up to the coach to choose the best team for the matches. God willing we will get the results,” Mussa said.
Mussa said they might have played Tanzania last year in Dar es Salaam in a Fifa international friendly match but that could not be used as a yardstick to measure the kind of opposition they will face next month.
“Last year we played them but it was a friendly so attitudes of both teams would be different compared to the major tournament now. The preparedness, mood and momentum everything changes as all the teams want to qualify for the African Cup of Nations.
“We should leave no stone unturned in preparing for the African Cup of Nations and do the nation proud,” said Mussa.
The Taifa Stars who are yet to qualify for any edition of the continental showpiece are not pushovers as recently they have posted some memorable results beating Burkina Faso twice in the African Nations Cup qualifiers. They also beat Cameroon 1-0 in a friendly match.
They also stunned Morocco 3-1 in a 2014 World Cup qualifier in Dar es Salaam last year.
Tanzania draw their players largely from local club sides such as Simba Stars, Azam and Young Africans.
In the last clash between Tanzania and Zimbabwe in November last year there was no winner as the game fizzled into a 0-0 draw with Gorowa using only two of his foreign-based legion —veteran goalkeeper Tapuwa Kapini and his AmaZulu teammate Nyadombo.
At that time the coach’s focus was on the CHAN squad and he used the opportunity to try such players like Misheck Mburayi, Lot Chiwunga, Nkosana Siwela, Themba Ndlovu, Wonder Kapinda and Warren Dube.
There are hopes, however, that Zifa for whom some senior officials are reported to have made overtures to replace Gorowa with Methembe Ndlovu, will resolve the outstanding issues with the former Moroka Swallows gaffer and ensure no time is wasted before the Warriors get their preparations in progress.
First round draw:
Liberia v Lesotho; Kenya v Comoros; Madagascar v Uganda; Mauritania v Equatorial Guinea; Namibia v Congo; Libya v Rwanda; Burundi v Botswana; Central African Republic v Guinea Bissau; Swaziland v Sierra Leone; Gambia v Seychelles; Sao Tome e Principe v Benin; Malawi v Chad; Tanzania v Zimbabwe; Mozambique v South Sudan.
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