Chronicle Editor
Robson Sharuko Senior Sports Editor—
WHEN the Warriors ended their 10-year wait for a place at the Nations Cup finals by thrashing Malawi 3-0 at the National Sports Stadium in June, they didn’t get a chance to party with their fans amid confusion over what had happened in Swaziland in a match that had a huge bearing on Zimbabwe’s fate.
Five months later, the Warriors return to the place they call home for a delayed party with the people who have backed them, in good times, which don’t come often for them and in bad times, which is usually the script that accompanies this team’s adventure in the jungles of African football.
There are more bad times, than the good ones and while neighbours and bitter rivals Zambia and South Africa are this weekend battling for a place at the 2018 World Cup finals in Russia, the Warriors didn’t even kick a ball in the qualifiers, paying the price for the sins of their football fathers who failed to pay $60 000 owed to former coach Valinhos.
And, were it not for the intervention of ZIFA benefactor Wicknell Chivayo, who paid off the $180 000 in January needed to offset the debt owed to another former coach Tom Saintfiet, the incredible jackpot the Belgian earned for coaching the team for just a day before his deportation for working without a permit, the youngsters in the Warriors’ squad would also not be looking forward to playing in the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.
Knowledge Musona, who has turned himself into the Warriors’ talisman by leading from the front in a way last seen when the greatest Warrior of them all, Peter Ndlovu, was the heart and soul of the team which finally ended our lengthy wait for a place at the Nations Cup finals 13 years ago, will be 30 by time the 2022 World Cup qualifiers get underway.
Khama Billiat, who has exploded onto the scene with a bang to become the darling of the Warriors’ fans, will also be 30 by the time the 2022 World Cup qualifiers get underway.
It doesn’t mean they will be too old for national duty, but given the way the duo has revitalised the Warriors, it’s probably fair to suggest that this period represents the prime of their careers in the golden shirt of our beloved team and, had we not been expelled from the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, we would have been in the trenches this weekend fighting for a place in Russia.
After all, we are the only country from Southern Africa to qualify for the 2017 Nations Cup finals and if we could make it to be among the 15 countries that succeeded in booking a ticket to join hosts Gabon at their party, then who can deny us the freedom to brag that we would have been among the 20 nations now fighting for a place in Russia.
Simple mathematics isn’t it?
As easy as predicting that the defender who is facing Khama, when he gets into full flow down either flank, will be eliminated from the equation, the barrier removed as if it didn’t exist, as the diminutive forward flies past him into the acres of space that the National Sports Stadium provide in abundance for him to showcase his skills.
The 26-year-old Mamelodi Sundowns’ forward scored three goals, the same
number which Musona also scored, as the Warriors roared into Gabon with a game to spare, in the qualifiers and plenty left in their tank to such an extent Callisto Pasuwa could even afford the luxury of leaving Khamaldinho out of the final qualifier against Guinea.
By then, that match had been turned into a dead rubber, given our fate had already been sealed by our brilliance in the matches before our trip to Conakry and is it just a coincidence that, with Khama unavailable, enjoying a welcome holiday which his caring national coach had given him, we lost that match 0-1, our only loss in the qualifiers?
Maybe not!
But when Khama was also rested for the first half of our home match against Swaziland, which we badly needed to win, the match was goalless at the break with the giant stadium having long turned into an explosive minefield crying out for its diminutive ace to come in and change the horrible script. And, thrown into the fray at the start of the second half, Khama quickly imposed himself on the game and after Musona had thrust the Warriors into the lead with a cheeky penalty, he delivered a cross that curled beyond the Swazi wall and was met by a thunderous header by Costa Nhamoinesu before fittingly scoring the fourth goal for the icing on the cake.
Last night Khama arrived home for tomorrow’s friendly international against Tanzania, his first game for his country since scoring a beauty to bury Malawi at the same venue in the game that confirmed the Warriors’ qualification and it’s not the same Billiat who left the country five months ago.
He is now an African club champion, having inspired his club Mamelodi Sundowns to a fairy-tale success story in the CAF Champions League and next month he will be leaving for Japan to be part of the global football artists — including Cristiano Ronaldo who provided him with a celebratory style that has come to represent a goal and celebrations, for us who support the Warriors — at the FIFA Club World Cup.
No Zimbabwean footballer has ever scaled those heights and Billiat, for what he did for the cause of the Warriors in their 2017 Nations Cup qualifiers and also flying our flag high on the continent with his exploits for Sundowns, deserves to be given a standing ovation when he enters the giant stadium tomorrow to celebrate his latest success with the people who mean so much to him. After all, he is our boy and come to think of it, just how much our bitter rivals South Africa and even Zambia wish he was born — and raised — on the other side of the Limpopo and Zambezi.
And he is proud to be one of us and in case you doubt that, just check the flag he is displaying in this picture while celebrating Sundowns’ success.
Peter Tanyanyiwa
Online Reporter