ZIFA SALUTE GOVT, SPONSORS . . . Association expect continued corporate support for next AFCON

Tadious Manyepo

Zimpapers Sports Hub

THE Africa Cup of Nations football extravaganza is tottering towards its business end and is down to the last eight, with some mouthwatering quarter-final clashes expected to begin tomorrow night in different cities in Morocco.

Former champions Senegal will get the last eight battles underway when they face West African rivals Mali in an earlier kick-off before the hosts take on Cameroon tomorrow night.

On Saturday there will also be some massive showdowns pitting 2019 champions Algeria and Nigeria with defending champions Côte d’Ivoire engaging record seven-time winners Egypt on Saturday.

With a bit of tact and industry, perhaps the Warriors could have finally found a way out of the group stages and reached the knock-out stages.

Zimbabwe were in Morocco for what was their sixth appearance at the continental showpiece, but once again crashed out at the group phase following two defeats to South Africa and Egypt and a draw with Angola in Group B.

The Warriors left Morocco on December 30 and enjoyed the dawn of the New Year back at their respective bases after their painful exit.

While their failure to reach the Round-of-16 carried with it the usual disappointment, this time around, there was no murmurs of discontent amongst the players after ZIFA were able to meet all their financial requirements.

Apart from their group stage jinx, the Warriors’ campaigns have a chequered record of player strikes over tournament bonuses and appearances.

Save for the maiden appearance in 2004, the 2006 edition and the 2021 AFCON (played in Cameroon in 2022), financial issues have largely always been novel with players even threatening to boycott matches.

That there were reports emerging from Marrakech last night that Nigeria’s Super Eagles had downed tools over unpaid bonuses, underscores the significance of stability in any team’s camp at the Nations Cup.

Back in 2019 in Egypt, it reached a point where even Zimbabwe’s opponents tried to motivate their players by simply pointing at the Warriors’ financial woes.

During that mayhem under the Felton Kamambo leadership, the players almost refused to fulfil their last Group A match against the DR Congo owing to financial problems.

Zimbabwe subsequently fell 4-0 in that encounter.

The then Warriors coach Sunday “Mhofu’’ Chidzambwa recounted the debacle two years after the forgettable tournament and saying, “against DRC, there were so many problems and according to what the ZIFA board and the players had agreed, there wasn’t going to be any game at all.

“Up until the technical team spoke to Mushekwi (Nyasha) and then we had to try and persuade the players to play the game.”

Two years earlier, Zimbabwe also found themselves on the spot, when they travelled for the jamboree held in Gabon and the writing was on the wall well before the tournament that the Warriors wouldn’t do well owing to endless feuds between ZIFA and the players in the run-up to the contest.

They even boycotted a send-off dinner that had been arranged in their honour.

But everything was flawless this time around with players getting paid more than 50 percent of their allowances well before they arrived in Morocco.

To their credit the new ZIFA board, which was only elected last January pulled all the stops to see to it that everything was fluid.

Having polished their reputation, ZIFA saw the country’s first citizen, President Mnangagwa, donating US$400 000 from his own pocket towards the Warriors’ welfare in Morocco.

And yesterday ZIFA president Nqobile Magwizi saluted President Mnangagwa and paid tribute to the Government and all the corporate and individual partners who came on board to ensure the Warriors had a smooth ride off the field.

“The AFCON is over us now. We competed well and we could have won all the games, but that wasn’t to be,’’ Magwizi said.

“There is so much room to improve given what happened in Morocco.

“But I would like to salute President Mnangagwa for his generous donation which he extended to the Warriors.

“You know it’s humbling to see the first citizen finding it in his heart to help in the manner he did. We went to Morocco feeling the comfort of support that he gave us.

“For once the Warriors had to concentrate on implementing the coaches’ tactics rather than worrying about financial issues.

“We also had corporates like Ecobank coming to help the team and it made everything smooth. Men’s wear entity 4 May International dressed the boys and we always looked immaculate. I would like to salute them.”

The corporates themselves have since pledged to continue their partnership with the Warriors.

Ecobank senior executives Mike Dengwani and Tichaona Gandanhamo said the top Pan-African bank was ready to forge a long-term relationship with the national team.

“The help wasn’t a one-off thing. We would like to thank our Managing Director Moses Kurenjekwa for agreeing to partner with the Warriors.

“We know the next assignments are around the corner, coming in March and we are more than ready to assist,” Dengwani said.

Gandanhamo said the new ZIFA executive inspires confidence and the corporate sector can’t fold their hands where there is a need to help the national teams.

“Let me say ZIFA is now vibrant. We have professionals running the association and we will always be ready to chip in not just to help the Warriors but also other national teams or even clubs representing the country,” said Gandanhamo.

“We helped the Warriors and also more than 25 fans to go to Morocco. We don’t have any complaints and we will continue doing so.”

Cobert Chimedza of 4 May International added: “I think we have a three-year contract to dress the Warriors. We can even expand that. We are more than happy to be associated with the national squad.”

The 4 May International designer suits which the Warriors wore were ranked amongst the best and Chimedza, who spent extended periods in Europe designing the formal wear prior to the AFCON, said he is an encouraged man.

With just two months before attention shifts to the 2027 edition of the Nations Cup, ZIFA and their partners know they cannot afford to rest on their laurels as they seek to help the Warriors to be as adequately prepared as possible.