Zifa have set up Warriors for failure
THE shoddy performance of the Zimbabwe senior soccer team in an international friendly match against the Flames of Malawi at the Kamuzu Banda Stadium on Sunday is not surprising. The Warriors stuttered to a lifeless 0-0 draw against their neighbours. Although a result does not usually matter in friendly matches as coaches will be looking mostly for combinations and to help their teams gel, this friendly didn’t really help Warriors coach Zdravko Logarusic as he had several players who will not be part of the team that will face the mighty Algeria in back-to-back African Cup of Nations qualifiers next month.
If we make a brief tour of events and circumstances leading to this result and performance, we will all come to the conclusion that the men leading our football at Zifa are not serious or they are simply out of depth or maybe a combination of both.
The Warriors coach travelled to Malawi with a hastily assembled and severely depleted squad after several Europebased stars including skipper Knowledge Musona failed to make the trip for various reasons including late dispatch of invitation letters.
Logarusic had named a 17-man squad largely dominated by Europe-based players as home-based players and those in South Africa have not been active due to the coronavirus pandemic.
However, those plans were thrown into disarray after several players withdrew from the team. France-based Tino Kadewere, Tendai Darikwa and Macauley Bonne (England) and Terrence Dzvukamanja (South Africa) are some of the key players that withdrew from the squad.
Tanzania-based striker Prince Dube, who was also expected to be part of the travelling squad, excused himself claiming he had sustained a hamstring injury. But he featured in a friendly match for his club Azam at the weekend thus limiting the coach’s options as he prepares for the showdown against Algeria, the reigning African champions.
Aston Villa midfielder Marvelous Nakamba, Turkey-based defender Teenage Hadebe and Khama Billiat (South Africa) were the only senior players who made the trip.
The confusion surrounding the trip to Malawi is an embarrassing episode which exposes the Zifa secretariat when it comes to handling important national assignments. The Zifa leadership had ample time to prepare for this international friendly, but waited until the last minute.
It would appear the Zifa board had no plans for an international friendly, but curved in after pressure from Logarusic and an invitation by Malawi.
That Zimbabwe only played one international friendly during the lengthy Fifa break, while neighbours Zambia played three international friendlies during the same period, with Malawi playing two, is a graphic illustration of the lack of seriousness and planning by the football authorities.
Given that the preparations for this international friendly were characterised by chaos, how will the Zifa leadership hold the coach accountable in the event the team falls to Algeria and fails to qualify for the biennial soccer showcase?