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From Petros Kausiyo in CAPE TOWN, South Africa
WARRIORS manager Shariff Mussa has lauded the revival of the special bond between the senior team and its merry band of supporters which he believes has been instrumental in driving Ian Gorowa’s men to their African Nations Championships progress here.
Drum beating and flag waving Zimbabwean fans turned Athlone Stadium into a cauldron for the Warriors during the Group B games against Morocco, Uganda and Burkina Faso.
The fans, who have been the largest contingent of all the countries that were using Athlone, charmed the Warriors and their technical crew, especially with the way they upped the decibels in the second half of Zimbabwe’s do-or-die clash against the Stallions on Monday night.
Yesterday Warriors manager Mussa saluted the fans, some of whom drove from Harare to Cape Town and joined Zimbabweans based in South Africa in rallying behind their team and it was also no coincidence that Athlone is the venue that had registered the second highest attendance figures after Cape Town Stadium by the time the chan Local Organising Committee did its evaluation of the competition’s first 20 matches on Tuesday.
As the Warriors seemed to be heading for another frustrating 0-0 draw against Burkina Faso, following a goalless first half in which they had once again missed some good chances, Mussa used the half-time break to rally the fans to increase their tempo and also pleaded with “the boo boys” among the crowd to give the players a chance.
Dynamos newboy Masimba Mambare, who eventually grabbed the priceless winner that sent the Warriors through to the quarter-finals, had been a particular target of “the boo boys”, only silencing them with his headed goal.
Despite that blip, Mussa in explaining why he took part of the half-time break to go to the supporters, described the fans as a “fantastic lot who have played their true role and helped the team immensely’’.
“The supporters were very instrumental in their support and wanted the momentum to double up in the second half because the last 45 minutes of that Burkina Faso game were do-or-die for us and by God’s grace they did that whether it was praying, singing or shouting and it helped to fire up our boys once more.
“They are always the 12th man in our team and they must keep it up in our next games as you know it also gets tougher from this stage onwards,’’ Mussa said.
Mussa said although they were not too amused at the decision by some of the fans to boo Mambare and demand that Gorowa haul him off before half-time, Mussa said they were happy that the midfielder had taken it in his stride and kept his focus.
“I also indicated to the supporters at half-time that they need to have faith with the team that the coach had picked and eventually Mambare rose there for us.
“Fans should always try to give space to the team that would have been picked and give it all their support. The technical department told all the players, including Mambare, to just stay focused knowing that anything short of victory would keep them in the competition.
“We asked them to do the job for their nation, for their families and for themselves and in the end we got the result.’’
Mussa also talked about the jubilation that had greeted the victory over the Stallions.
“After the match it was so electrifying, the fans were jubilant, the despondency that had characterised the first two games had gone and there was renewed hope that we can actually go all the way now,’’ Mussa said.
The affable Harare businessman also said he was hopeful that the issue of the Warriors incentives for the quarter-final showdown with Mali would be resolved in time to ensure it does not impact on the players’ attention on the match against the Eagles at Cape Town stadium on Saturday night.
“I am told Zifa are now working with the Sports Commission and Government for incentives for the quarter-finals and I hope they get that out of the way quickly so that the boys can remain focused,’’ Mussa said.
Zifa chief executive Jonathan Mashingaidze said the cash-strapped association was once again banking on the Government to come to their rescue and meet the costs of the Warriors’ incentives for the remainder of the competition.
The Government, earlier this month, availed US$88 000 which was used for the Warriors preparations, travel and allowances for the group games.
Online Reporter