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Grace Chingoma Harare Bureau
THE Warriors did not train again yesterday, amid raging confusion in their camp, but they are now scheduled to get their preparations underway this morning for their African Nations Championships qualifier against the Comoros Islands. Zimbabwe will host the Indian Ocean islanders in a first round, first leg qualifier at Rufaro on Sunday.
The Warriors are expected to travel to the Comoros the following weekend for the reverse fixture, that is, provided that cash-strapped Zifa manage to raise the airfares needed for the trip.
Should they get past Comoros, the Warriors will have just one more hurdle to clear — a second round assignment against the winner between Botswana and Lesotho — to secure a fourth straight Chan finals appearance at the 2016 competition in Kigali, Rwanda.
But the manner in which the Zifa administration have been going about the Warriors’ business barely resembles a team that is focused on clearing just the two hurdles ahead of them in order to book their place at the Chan finals.
Dynamos goalkeeper Tatenda Mukuruva, who was one of the heroes of Zimbabwe’s fine start to the African Cup of Nations campaign in Malawi, headlined the 13 players who had reported for camp by early evening yesterday.
The others are Mukuruva’s number two Donovan Bernard of How Mine, Young Warriors skipper Wisdom Mutasa, Gunners centre back Justice Jangano, Gerald Takwara, Marshal Mudehwe, Raphael Kawondera, Jimmy Konono, Blessing Moyo, Ronald Chitiyo, Malvin Gaki, Liberty Chakoroma and Thomas Chideu.
Zifa communications manager, Xolisani Gwesela, said more players were on their way, including the Hwange pair of Evans Rusike and Pritchard Mphelele.
Those that came in early last night attended a mid-week church service hosted by their benefactor Prophet Walter Magaya’s Prophetic Healing Ministries in Waterfalls.
Magaya has often come to the rescue of the Warriors and the Mighty Warriors and played a big part in ending the threats of a boycott of the Malawi trip by the senior side.
He is expected to attend the Warriors training session this morning.
It was, however, not immediately clear whether the Warriors presence at last night’s service was for purposes of extending yet another begging bowl.
Magaya told StarFM yesterday that he was not interested in any Zifa position and he was merely helping his nation.
The Warriors opponents, Comoros Islands, were expected to touch down at Harare International airport at 10pm last night.
The Indian Ocean islanders will also get their first feel of the Harare conditions at about the same time that the Warriors will be starting their training.
Les Coelecantes are rated 190 on the Fifa rankings but Warriors coach Callisto Pasuwa is not a believer in rankings.
Pasuwa, just like his players will also be resuming duty after ending the impasse he had with Zifa over his unpaid salaries with the troubled association making a pledge through their president Cuthbert Dube to settle the payment by June 30.
The coach had wanted training to start on Tuesday morning but with two days lost, the Warriors will now have to make the most out of the few remaining days they have together before Sunday’s battle.
Pasuwa has also shown faith in the bulk of the Under-23 players who are also chasing Zimbabwe’s 2016 Olympic dream and will next month face South Africa in that qualifying bid.
He has, however, added some of the top performers in the domestic Premiership with Chicken Inn striker Edmore Chirambadare and his teammate Devine Magaya being rewarded for their industry, which has catapulted the Gamecocks to the summit of the Premiership log standings after 13 games.
Pasuwa, who is doubling up as Warriors and Under-23, coach also considered some of the decent performers from the senior team’s 2015 Cosafa Cup squad and given the difficult working conditions he has had to endure, the 44-year-old gaffer has been trying to strike a balance between the two sides.
Given that international friendlies are also hard to come by in an environment where even having a full week’s training camp has been nightmarish, Pasuwa has been left with no choice but to use the matches as a platform to try and find the right combinations and, fortunately for the coach, he has met with some success so far.
But for the Chan tournament, Pasuwa knows he is restricted to just the local players.
As a gesture of support to the coach the Premiership suspended their league games to ensure local clubs would freely release those players called into camp.
PSL chief executive, Kenny Ndebele, has always insisted that his league views the Chan tournament as their baby too given that it is a competition mainly for the stars of the top-flight body.
Online Reporter
Bongani Ndlovu