Zemura keen to see Warriors succeed
JORDAN ZEMURA has described the inaugural Four Nations Invitational tournament to take place in Lilongwe, Malawi as an opportunity for the Warriors to fine-tune for bigger assignments this year.
The contest features the hosts, Zimbabwe, Kenya, and Zambia from Saturday to March 26 at Bingu Stadium.
It was put together by authorities from the respective associations, including ZIFA Normalisation Committee chairman Lincoln Mutasa.
The Under-20 from Zimbabwe, Malawi, and Kenya get the ball rolling in the same tournament today.
The juniors’ fiesta was initially scheduled to kick-off tomorrow but it has since been reduced to a three-team round-robin showdown due to Zambia’s withdrawal.
But Zimbabwe’s cross Zambezi rivals are still sending their senior team, Chipolopolo for the tournament.
The Warriors face Zambia in one of the most notable derbies across the continent in the semi-finals on Saturday.
Both Zimbabwe and Zambia have named full-strength squads as the tournament comes in the FIFA international window and the fiesta is poised to produce fireworks.
Winners of the tie will face the winners from the other semi-final between Malawi and Kenya in the final on March 26.
Interim Warriors coach Norman Mapeza has the job cut out for him with most of the players in the squad based in Europe.
The FC Platinum gaffer could even cement his post and get the responsibility on a long-term basis should he be able to impress at this mini-tourney which Zemura has said needs to be taken seriously for the good of the game in the country.
“Let me first acknowledge the good work that has been done in putting together such a good tournament. It is always good to have such challenging contests in the international break,” said Zemura.
“Playing Zambia, Kenya, and/or Malawi is such a good challenge for us as players. These are good footballing teams and they punch hard.
“As players, we are excited going into the trenches to battle out in this contest. We are a team that is aiming for greatness and such tournaments give us the leverage and exposure that we yearn for.
“I am very sure the competition in this tournament will shape us as a team and as players going into more competitions this year.
“We are also aware that this competition will also have a bearing on our overall world rankings so we need to be up to the task.
“In June, we will be playing the 2026 World Cup qualifiers and this is an opportunity for us to gauge ourselves, perfect the errors, and consolidate our positives.
“That is how big this tournament is. We are eager to showcase ourselves as a team and see what we can do. After all, whenever we wear that national jersey, the aim should be one; to defend the badge. We need to make sure that we play to win and raise our flag high.”
The Udinese midfielder, who has established himself as one of the key men in the Warriors squad of late, is one of the most in-form players at club level this season.
Having made history by becoming the first player from this country to ply his trade in the Italian Serie A last year, Zemura is riding high in the third-best ranked league in the world where he has since registered his name on the score-sheet.
But his preoccupation for now is to help the Warriors clinch the Four Nations competition.
“It’s our chance to win a crown at international level. Our focus is on doing well and winning the tournament,” said Zemura.
“It will be good for us to bag the prize. It will give us the confidence going into the year where we have so many competitions to play.”*