adminThe national team coach Klaus Dieter Pagels said yesterday the match, which falls on the Fifa calendar, will feature the foreign and local based players..
Zimbabwe are using the match to prepare for the 2014 World Cup qualifier against Egypt in Cairo on 26 March.
And as the preparations gather pace, this Sunday, Pagels will conduct a tournament with the regions select at Rufaro to select the Under-23 players from all the lower divisions. The players from the divisions who will impress the technical team will join the local players from the Premiership when they go into camp the following day. And Pagels says the squad for the Zebras match will be announced at the weekend.
The German coach, who was appointed towards the end of last year, after the Warriors failed again to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations underway in South Africa, will get his first feel of the job when Zimbabwe hosts the Zebras.
Pagels said he will have time to work his tactics with the local players for a week before the foreign based players jet in a day or two before the match.
“We are only looking at players from the first division and lower divisions this Sunday and not Premiership players and it will depend on their strength, if the players are good enough we will select them, if there isn’t any we will leave it like that.
“Next Sunday they would be joined by the foreign-based for the Botswana game. And it is easier to work with the foreign-based when they join in late after working with the large group for a number of days,” said Pagels.
The expatriate coach said although he would have loved the North African opposition ahead of the crucial World Cup match against Egypt in two months’ time, he would have to make do with the neighbours.
“Algeria and Tunisia are at the Africa Cup of Nations so it was a problem to get a northern African opposition. But I think it doesn’t matter and we will play Botswana,” said Pagels.
The coach also revealed that after the friendly match he will have more time to work with the local based players as they would be used as a demonstration group during the Premiership coaches’ high level coaching course by German instructor Erich Rutemolzer at the end of February. The instructor came last year and conducted a clinic for the Premiership coaches and this year he is coming back for another refresher.
“I want to use the local players as a demonstration group during the coaching course so it means one more week of training for these players in camp and will also help as we prepare for the Egypt match,” said Pagels.
The coach who could not hint on the players he would be selecting said the door is open to all the players.
Meanwhile, the Young Mighty Warriors coaches Langton Giwa and his assistant Sithethelelwe “Kwinji 15” Sibanda were yesterday presented with B Licence coaching certificates by the Germany Ambassador HansGünter Gnodtke at the Embassy.
The coaches went to Hennef in Germany in April last year for the international coaching course which was sponsored by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and conducted by the German Football Association.
The ambassador said his country will continue to assist nations like Zimbabwe in developing their soccer.
Online Reporter