Loga braces for World Cup
Warriors coach Zdravko Logarusic, basking in the glory of having qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), has shifted focus to the World Cup qualifiers which begin in June as he looks to strengthen his squad.
Zimbabwe was drawn in Group H alongside Ghana, South Africa and Ethiopia in the race for a ticket to the biggest football tournament on the planet.
The Warriors kickstart their campaign at home against South Africa between June 5 and 8 before a trip to Ethiopia a few days later.
Unlike in the previous years, the World Cup qualifier race in Africa will be decided in a space of five months, that is from June to November.
A strong showing in the qualifiers for Qatar 2022 will guarantee the beleaguered Warriors’, coach the right to take the team to the Afcon finals.
Only the top teams in the 10 groups will progress to the finals playoff where five teams will qualify for the World Cup.
Logarusic has been lately under pressure from some sections of the Warriors fans because of his record as coach where he has only won one competitive match and lost five in seven encounters.
However, it’s the three losses at the Chan finals with the locally-based players who had not played football in over a year that makes the Croat’s statistics look extremely bad.
And it is no surprise that the coach has committed himself to try and lure players with links to Zimbabwe such as English Championship side Reading midfielder Andy Rinomhota.
“Andy has not yet committed to playing for Zimbabwe. We have tried our best to reach out to him. We have done everything and I can tell you that on Friday night the coach [Logarusic] and I were trying to communicate with him, but to not avail. I guess those who are ready to play for Zimbabwe will come round,” Warriors manager Wellington Mpandare told Standardsport.
Rinomhota hogged the limelight in Reading’s 1-1 away draw against an in-form Barnsley side, with an outrageous assist from long range as Ovie Ejaria gave the visitors a first half lead.
The 23-year-old defensive midfielder is a mainstay in the Reading side having featured in 36 of the clubs’ 39 matches in the league, contributing one goal and two assists.
Logarusic revealed attempts to lure Rinomhota last week following Zimbabwe’s home defeat to Zambia.
“Andy Rinomhota, we are talking to him and we will know soon if it’s a yes or no. I did not talk to him, but our agent is. If it’s yes, he has to get a passport. We are not closing doors on those who have the heart for the team and those who show commitment, but those who don’t the door is closed,” he said.
Another England-based player, Brendon Galloway, is set to feature for the country in the World Cup qualifiers after he made the commitment and began the process of acquiring a Zimbabwean passport last week.
What’s left is for Mpandare to receive Galloway’s application papers and complete the process in Zimbabwe.
Mpandare defended the Croatian gaffer, who reportedly barred a number of players that blue-ticked him on the WhatsApp platform from playing for Zimbabwe.
“The coach did not shut the door on anybody, who is eligible to play for the country. All he was trying to say was he blocked some players, who had ignored him from communicating with him through WhatsApp. Instead they should show commitment by looking for other ways to communicate," he said.
“The case of Divine Lunga was blown out of proportion because the coach was not even referring to him. Lunga was not communicating with the coach, but I was communicating with his club and they made his situation clear. The problem came when the player reacted to unfounded claims on social media.”
Zimbabwe missed out on the 2018 World Cup qualifiers after the country was expelled due to the non-payment of an outstanding debt by Zifa to Brazilian coach
José Claudinei Georgini, also known as Valinhos.
Group H World Cup qualifier fixtures
Matchday 1: June 5-8, 2021
Zimbabwe vs South Africa, Ghana vs Ethiopia.
Matchday 2: June 11-14, 2021
South Africa vs Ghana, Ethiopia vs Zimbabwe.
Matchday 3: September 1-4, 2021
Ethiopia vs South Africa, Ghana vs Zimbabwe. Matchday 4: September 5-8, 2021
South Africa vs Ethiopia, Zimbabwe vs Ghana.
Matchday 5: October 6-9, 2021
South Africa vs Zimbabwe, Ethiopia vs Ghana
Matchday 6: October 10-12, 2021
Ghana vs South Africa, Zimbabwe vs Ethiopia.