Warriors get help:
TEAM Zimbabwe UK chief executive Marshall Gore says they are looking at arranging friendly matches for the Warriors in the United Kingdom so that coach Sunday Chidzambwa may have an opportunity to assess more foreign-based players for consideration into the team.
Gore, who has been working with ZIFA to get a number of UK-based players to play for the Warriors, said the idea was to present the coach with an opportunity to have a look at more foreign-based players he may want to consider for his team.
“We were given the mandate by ZIFA to organise friendly matches for the Zimbabwe national team in the UK. This will also give an opportunity for the Diaspora players to have a chance to play especially those that have not been called for the national team.
“But the arrangement will be that the national team coach and the technical department here will come and join us over (in the UK).
“And we will also have access to some of the players that are already playing in Europe. So we have an agreement, we have already started looking.
“So, when he comes, we will facilitate for him to visit some of these players at their respective clubs and see them.
“That’s part and parcel of the plan that we have for 2018. If we can achieve the tour, that’s good, if we can achieve the greater part of having a friendly in Europe that will be even exceptional,” said Gore.
He said some of the countries they have engaged include Wales, Scotland, Latvia and Luxembourg.
“I think we had been given a friendly by the Cyprus Football Association but at the last minute they turned us down. They said they had opted to play against Serbia.
“So, what we are doing is we are continuing to make arrangements to speak with the home countries in the UK and other European countries and see if they can give us a game and we plan it in collaboration with ZIFA.
“That’s is particularly for the Warriors and to give a chance for the national team coach to come and see all the Diaspora players.
“There has been a trend whereby we have been bringing them there to come and play but they come in drips and drops. Like last time I brought five, this time around there were three that came.
“It will be very helpful for the coach, for us to play a friendly and then we bring all of them because it’s easier if the coach will travel now and then they play and the coach can assess them. So that’s what we are trying to do,” Gore said.
Gore said there were also efforts to bring either their Under-17 or Under20 side for a tour in Zimbabwe this year. They had initially planned the tour for last November but they had to postpone it due to the political transition that was taking place in the country during that period.