Znssa slam Owen Chandamale

his responsibilities during the Warriors’ Cecafa Senior Challenge Cup adventure in Tanzania.
ZNSSA are unhappy that Chandamale, who was the team’s head of delegation, left the Warriors stranded in Dar-es-Salaam, when complications, related to their travel itinerary, arose.

Chandamale was one of the four members of the delegation who flew out of Tanzania earlier, leaving the bulk of the Warriors’ party to endure three more frustrating three days in Dar-es-Salaam, as their travel plans were being revised.
Mkuphali Masuku, who traveled as assistant coach to Norman Mapeza in the absence of Joey Antipas who had commitments with Motor Action, goalkeepers’ coach Richard Tswatswa and medic, Muparira Tapfuma, were also part of the delegation that flew out of Tanzania first.

ZNSSA are unhappy that Chandamale, as the head of delegation, should not have jumped onto the first available flight out of Tanzania given the crisis that the team was facing.
The national supporters’ representative body believe Chandamale should have cancelled his flight and stayed behind with the remaining group of Warriors and, as head of delegation, he was supposed to be the last one to leave.

ZNSSA organising-secretary, Fortune “Giant” Bgwoni, said Chandamale neglected his responsibilities as head of delegation and owes both Zifa and the Warriors an apology.
“When you are head of delegation, it means everything to do with the team has been invested into your hands and, as leader, you have to make decisions that are in the best interests of the people you are representing,” said Bgwoni.

“A head of delegation is supposed to deal with a crisis, as and when it emerges, and he should be the last to eat, when there are problems with food supply, and he should be the last to sleep, when there are problems with accommodation in foreign lands.
“Unfortunately, what Chandamale did, flying out of Tanzania and leaving the boys behind, did not set the right example because it gave the impression that he did not care what would happen to them as long as he was out of the crisis.

“When the air tickets issue surfaced, Chandamale should have told the organisers that, even though he was now booked to travel earlier than the team, it was not possible for him to leave the boys behind in a foreign land because he was the overall leader.

“He should have resisted any move to try and force him to board a flight in a travel arrangement that left the boys alone, facing a crisis, without their leader around.”
Bgwoni said they would be interested to read Chandamale’s report of the tour of duty, which does not include the other three days that the Warriors remained in Tanzania while their delegation leader was gone.

“All heads of delegation have to write reports about their trips and how will Chandamale write about what happened during the days when he was no longer there in Tanzania?” said Bgwoni.
“He will certainly produce a report that is inconclusive and it’s sad because he neglected what was supposed to be his principal responsibility.

“We don’t need head of delegations who are just there to enjoy the comfort of hotel rooms and get out-of-pocket allowances and who disappear when a crisis arises.
“If ever the Warriors who were in Tanzania needed the services of their head of delegation, then it was when the crisis, related to their travel plans, emerged.
“But, sadly, their leader got on the first available flight back home and left them alone to face the crisis.”
Bgwoni said they will be writing to Zifa to seek clarification on the circumstances that led Chandamale to leave the Warriors stranded in Tanzania while he returned to the comfort of his home in Harare.

“There has to be explanations on all this because it just doesn’t sound right,” said Bgwoni.
“It’s like Norman Mapeza leaving on an earlier flight, in times of crisis, to fly back home and leaving his players alone in a foreign land.
“That cannot happen because it is not right because he knows he is the leader of the players and cannot dump them.

“Chandamale was not only the leader of the players but also the leader of the coaches and the medical team and we feel he set a very bad example for all the heads of delegations.”