Zim arrive in Bamako

of Nations qualifier Group A tie at the 26 Stade here on Saturday night.
On one front, the Zimbabweans will be battling against the blast furnace temperatures which hit 39 degrees Celsius as the team touched down in Bamako yesterday.
The Zimbabwean delegation has been advised to take lots of fluids to combat the high temperatures.
On the other front, Zimbabwe are seeking a positive result against Mali.
Unlike in previous visits by the Warriors to West African countries, when the Warriors were subjected to poor treatment, there was no such psychological warfare as the Malians were largely hospitable.
When the Warriors delegation arrived from Harare via Nairobi, they found Zifa protocol official Tinashe Mapuranga, who had travelled as an advance party waiting for them together with officials from the Mali Football Federation.
That ensured that the Warriors had near flawless immigration formalities.
After leaving the airport, Norman Mapeza’s men were in a buoyant mood as they quickly checked into the Azalai Hotel but after spending nearly a day travelling, their coach decided to give them a rest. The Warriors’ arrival was delayed by more than an hour as their plane had developed an electrical fault at Jomo Kenyatta Airport in Nairobi earlier in the day.
When the plane was finally cleared to take off, it took nearly seven hours to arrive here.
Mapeza indicated that he would hold two training sessions for his charges – this morning and in the afternoon.
The Mali Football Federation have offered Zimbabwe the use of the Mokibo Keita Stadium for a practice session today while tomorrow, the Warriors will have a feel of the match venue.
So far everything is falling into place for the Warriors who have brought their own chef and food.
The Confederation of African Football have appointed Bakary Gassamo to handle the match.
H e will be assisted by Fanneh Yaya and Jallow Maado and they are all from Gambia while president of the Benin Football Association Anjoin Mouchoucrafou is the match commissioner.