Mpandare hopeful Warriors will play in 2023 AFCON qualifiers

WARRIORS team manager, Wellington Mpandare, says he is hopeful the senior national football team will take part in this year’s AFCON qualifiers.

Mpandare said he was being encouraged by what was happening in the background where the ground was being prepared for the Warriors to compete in the tournament.

A number of current and former Warriors have been calling for a deal to enable the national team to feature in the qualifiers where they will take on Bafana Bafana, Morocco and regular sparring partners, Liberia.

The Warriors first match is set to be a home tie, against the Lone Star of Liberia, on June 9.

According to CAF, Zimbabwe’s suspension from FIFA has to be lifted, two weeks before that match, for the Warriors to feature in the qualifiers.

Kenya, who are in a similar predicament, have decided they will not send the Harambee Stars into the qualifiers because there was still a lot of work to be done to cleanse their football.

Rather than reinstate the suspended Kenya Football Federation leadership, as demanded by FIFA, the Kenyan Government has appointed an interim committee, led by a retired judge, to lead their football.

FIFA also want the Sports Commission to reinstate the Felton Kamambo leadership for the suspension to be lifted.

Kamambo and Felton Machana, the key figures in the old executive, had their mandate revoked by the ZIFA Councillors.

However, Mpandare insists all was not lost. “We are still very hopeful that we will participate in the 2023 AFCON qualifiers,” he told H-Metro.

“We have faith and we will not lose it, we will not give up.

“There is a lot happening in the background and we are doing everything in our capacity to make sure that we play.”

Other countries like South Africa have already announced their squads.

Mpandare said they have been working with the expectation that the Warriors will play in the qualifiers.

“I’m a manager who knows how to do his job, so, I have already sent letters to all the foreign-based players,” he said.

“This means that, in the event we play, we would have done our part.

“I am done with writing and I have already sent invites to a number of players.

“I know that they haven’t selected a coach yet but I’m doing this so that the coach will have a pool of players to choose from.

“I am positive and I will not stop working. Yes, other countries might have started camp but we are also organising our things.

“We can’t announce what we are doing yet but we are preparing everything and making sure that when the time comes, we will be ready,” he said.