malvernmugadzikwa
COACH Michael Nees has a little less than four days to prepare the Warriors for the Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifier against Kenya in Uganda on Friday.
Please note that it is not Zimbabwe, but Kenya, who are the hosts.
Apparently, the East African nation and Zimbabwe are kind of in the same situation.
They both seem to have been cursed by the same god.
Kenya presently does not have any approved stadium, as its two main facilities — Nyayo Stadium and the Kasarani Sports Complex — are being rehabilitated ahead of the CHAN tournament next year.
We, too, are rehabilitating the National Sports Stadium to bring it up to the expected international standard.
Four days after Friday’s encounter, it will also be our turn to host Cameroon in Uganda.
But our similarities with Kenya extend beyond the condemnable state of our stadiums.
In February 2022, we were both sent to the naughty corner by FIFA after ostensible interference by the authorities in the respective countries attracted the wrath of the world football mother body, which predictably reacted by suspending the two nations.
Fed up by the monkey business happening in its own football, Kenya’s sports ministry had decided to go nuclear by disbanding the Football Kenya Federation for a litany of offences that included alleged misappropriation of funds.
Here, the Sports and Recreation Commission similarly decided to blow the Felton Kamambo-led ZIFA out of the water for trying to give local football fans a heart attack through their nonsense.
However, Kenya’s suspension was lifted much earlier, in November 2022, after the sports ministry, which had been browbeaten by FIFA, walked back its decision by reinstating the leadership of FKF. But here in Zimbabwe, we are made of sterner stuff.
We fought it out until we agreed on a Normalisation Committee that has been (mis)managing our local football since July last year.
So, we go into Friday’s match at par with our Kenyan brothers, who are reputed more for athletics than football.
It will, however, be unreasonable, if not irrational, to expect the Warriors to play “champagne football” on Friday, as Nees, who has since made his revulsion of the kick-and-run type of football known, has not had sufficient time to work with his new charges.
He only has until Thursday to work on his system and game plan.
Perhaps the only consolation is that the players who have been selected for the encounter are more or less the same as those who were in the side that played the last two
internationals against Lesotho and South Africa.
It is a pity that Marvelous Nakamba, who is now fit and played in the Carabao Cup defeat against Queens Park Rangers on Tuesday, did not make it into the squad.
But the headline-grabbing news of the week was the inclusion of Yadah Stars magician Khama Billiat, who has had a change of heart and feels he has unfinished business with the national team.
He probably wants to emulate Peter Ndlovu — Zimbabwe’s football god — who, at the age of 30, memorably led the Warriors to their first appearance at AFCON in 2004, after writing his name in gold in the country’s football folklore by scoring two goals in the 2-0 victory over Eritrea at the National Sports Stadium on July 5, 2003.
But Khama, who has undoubtedly shone in the Premier Soccer League, is now 34 years old.
So, he will be battling both nature and scepticism in his bid to help Zimbabwe qualify for its fifth AFCON tournament.
All these intriguing sub-plots — a new coach, similar circumstances between Zimbabwe and Kenya and Khama’s Second Coming — will make Friday’s encounter a match to look forward to.
Considering the depths that we have plumbed in our last two matches, we cannot play any worse.
Until next time.
Peace!
Yours Sincerely,
Bra Shakes.
Online Reporter