Warriors job first: Mahachi

Ngqwele Dube Sports Correspondent
HIGHLANDERS winger and Zimbabwe Warriors wonderkid Kudakwashe Mahachi says pending trials at French side Monaco will not distract him from the national team’s first leg first round 2015 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Tanzania at the National Stadium in Dar es Salaam this afternoon.
Mahachi is set to travel to France soon after the game for a week long trials at the Ligue 1 club in what could be a dream move for the talismanic young winger. Speaking before the departure for Tanzania on Friday morning, Mahachi said while the move to France would be a big career changer, his main focus at the moment was assisting the Warriors get an unassailable lead in the first leg of the preliminary round qualifiers.

“Playing abroad is obviously every player’s dream and while I am looking forward to impressing at Monaco next week, right now my mind is focused on assisting the nation progress to the next round of the African Cup of Nations qualifiers. I am glad Monaco understand the importance of national duty and agreed we delay the trials until after Sunday’s (today’s) match,” he said.

Mahachi’s manager, Mlungisi Moyo, said the striker is expected to fly out to France tomorrow, although the travelling arrangements were yet to be finalised.

“He is scheduled to fly to France on Monday but we are not yet sure whether he will leave straight from Tanzania or he will come back and fly out from Harare, it is something we are finalising. The trial stint is for one week but if they (Monaco) still need to monitor him after that period his maximum stay in France would be two weeks. I am, however, confident that in one week he would have made the grade,” said Moyo. The former Chicken Inn winger said the Warriors were geared for today’s match and were well psyched for a win.

He said although they only had a few days to prepare, he believed they were ready to get one up over the Taifa Stars.
“A win is the only result in our minds and with the high team spirit we are having in camp, I think it is something we can achieve. We are, however, not undermining our opponents that is a clear message that has been drummed into every player’s head so we are unlikely to experience any complacency during the game. We have to get as many goals in Tanzania so that we wrap up the match and don’t find ourselves struggling in the return leg at home,” said Mahachi.

The player’s exhilarating performances at the 2014 African Nations Championships held in South Africa early this year attracted a lot of interest from various teams but he was quickly snapped up by South African Absa Premier League side Mamelodi Sundowns who loaned him out to Highlanders for a six-month period. If Mahachi impresses in France, he is likely to move to Europe without kicking the ball at Sundowns.

The Warriors will have to win knockout matches against Tanzania and the winner of the Mozambique and South Sudan duel for a place in the group stages where they are in a pool that already has former champions Zambia, Cape Verde and Niger in Group F. The Warriors’ return leg against Tanzania will be played on the weekend of 30 May to 1 June.

Nkembe, as Mahachi is affectionately known, could join a list of other Zimbabwean players who have made it to the French leagues that includes Harrington Shereni who turned out for FC Nantes and Guingamp, Benjamin Mwaruwari who played for Auxerre before moving to England, Ovidy Karuru who turned out for US Boulogne before packing his boots for Belgium and Marvelous Nakamba who is at AS Nancy.