Covid-19: UK decision on players boon for Zim

THE British Government relented yesterday when it announced that fully vaccinated foreign footballers, plying their trade in the country’s clubs, would be allowed to fulfil matches in countries on its Covid-19 red-list category.

This paves the way for scores of players to fly home to represent their countries, including Zimbabwe, in 2022 World Cup qualifiers set for this month.

The Warriors have back-to-back matches against Ghana’s Black Stars, where they need at least four points, to breathe life into a campaign that has started badly.

The country’s senior national football team find themselves bottom of their table, in their World Cup qualifying group after dropping two points at home in a goalless draw against Bafana Bafana, before a shock 0-1 away defeat to Ethiopia.

However, with four matches still to play in the qualifiers, the Warriors might be down, but they are certainly not out of contention to challenge for a maiden appearance at the World Cup finals.

A lot will depend on how they perform against the Black Stars and the dismissal of hapless coach, Zdravko Logarusic, and the recruitment of Norman Mapeza, on an interim basis, has ignited expectations they could turn their campaign around.

Loga blamed the absence of many of the players he had earmarked for the first two matches, especially those based in the United Kingdom, for the poor results, which ultimately cost him his job.

The Warriors were without the likes of Aston Villa midfielder Marvelous Nakamba, AFC Bournemouth rising star Jordan Zemura, Wigan Athletic captain Tendayi Darikwa, Luton Town forward Admiral Muskwe, Plymouth Argyle defender Brendan Galloway and Hamilton striker David Moyo.

With both Zimbabwe and Ethiopia on the list of countries on the UK Covid-19 red-list, it meant players could not come home to represent their country.

With other players, from countries which are not on the red-list being allowed to have their players, it created a huge uproar, across the entire football world, amid accusations that this was undermining the integrity of the World Cup.

It is a tournament where every country, no matter how big or small, or how good or bad, they are in the game, should have an equal chance of having a crack at qualifying.

It’s only through such a level playing field that the eventual winner can claim, without any qualms whatsoever, that they are the world champions.

For a country like Zimbabwe, players who play in the major leagues of the UK, form the backbone of the national team.

And, their absence, for one reason or another, creates an uneven playing field, where they are forced to go into battle without their best troops.

That is why FIFA president Gianni Infantino intervened during the last round of matches by writing to British Prime Minister Boris Johnson to consider relaxing the quarantine rules, when it comes to international footballers.

Yesterday, a window was opened to allow these football stars to travel to their countries and play in forthcoming World Cup qualifiers.

“We have worked closely with football authorities to achieve an outcome that balances the interests of both club and country while maintaining the highest levels of public health and safety,” a British Government spokesperson told Reuters.

“Our best defence against the virus is vaccination and these new measures will allow fully vaccinated players to fulfil their international duties in the safest, most practical way possible, while allowing them to train and play with their clubs as early as possible upon their return.”

Those who will travel home will be fully segregated from the public for 10 days, on their return to the UK and “significant public health mitigations and protocols” will be in place when they leave the facility to train or play for their clubs.

However, only those who are fully vaccinated will be allowed to fly and represent their nations.

In our case, it means that only Nakamba and Zemura, who are both fully vaccinated, are the ones who have been given the clearance to come for the two matches against Ghana.

While their presence in the team will certainly strengthen our Warriors, given their quality and the level of football where they have been playing, it could have been a better story had all our boys, who are based in the UK, been on the plane home for the two matches.

While vaccination against Covid-19 remains largely a personal option, the signs are clear that the world is moving into a future where those who choose not to be vaccinated might find they need to clear a number of hurdles just to try and live their normal lives.

The Zimbabwe Government has been consistent in its message that the more we get vaccinated, the better our chances of returning to the sort of life, which we knew, before Covid-19 struck.

Only this week, United Airlines, the American carrier which is the third largest airline company in the world, when one considers the fleet size and number of routes covered, announced it was going to lay off hundreds of employees who have refused to get vaccinated, against Covid-19.

The airline has 834 planes and flies to 342 destinations.

About 600 members of staff now face the axe after they failed to comply with the company’s mandatory vaccination policy although 99 percent of their workforce has complied.

That is the direction the world is taking and, while we are cheered by Nakamba and Zemura’s return, a powerful message has been sent to our other players that they need to get fully vaccinated.

The way things are going, we won’t be surprised when it becomes a requirement, in professional sport, that only those who are fully vaccinated will be allowed to take part.