Zemura dreams big for Warriors
ZIMBABWE international defender Jordan Zemura is a man who always dreams big.
And according to the 23-year-old AFC Bournemouth defender, the nation should be aiming to look beyond just qualifying for the African Cup of Nations football finals.
Massive transformation is needed to join the continent’s elite who are always vying for the few Word Cup slots.
Zemura said this while discussing the hopes of the African nations at the current FIFA World Cup in Qatar where the continent is represented by Cameroon, Tunisia, Senegal, Morocco and Ghana.
Senegal were the first African country to qualify for the knock-out stages this week and will play England in the last 16 on Sunday while Morocco, Ghana and Cameroon still have realistic chances ahead of their last group games.
“They’re getting really close,” he told The Daily Echo yesterday.
“Hopefully one day Zimbabwe, my team, my country, my nation can hopefully join the elite forces up top. 2026, you might be reporting on me going to the World Cup, who knows!?”
Born in London to Zimbabwean parents, Zemura is one of the overseas players with Zimbabwean heritage that have been chased by ZIFA to boost the quality and competitiveness of the senior national team.
Zemura’s national team debut came just two days before his 21st birthday, after he was given a starting place in the African Cup of Nations qualifier against Algeria, in November 2020. Previously, he had faced challenges with his passport.
Whilst development has taken a big knock back home, Zimbabwe have talent dotted all over the globe and some of the players could be useful in Zemura’s dream for the 2026 World Cup.
The players who still have age on their side include Leicester City prodigy Tawanda Maswanhise (20), 19-year-old Sunderland defender Ethan Kachosa, Arsenal’s Reiss Nelson (22), 18-year-old Michael Ndiweni of Newcastle, Leeds United graduate Jimiel Chikukwa (19), Brendan Galloway (26) of Plymouth Argyle, Andy Rinomhota (25) of Cardiff City, Admiral Muswe (25) of Luton Town, and Wolves Academy forward Leon Chiwome (16), who recently made it to the elite list of Guardian’s Next Generation 2022.
But as things stand, the World Cup is still a pipe dream for Zimbabwe. The nation is currently under suspension from FIFA and football is in shambles after years of corruption and maladministration.
As a result, Zimbabweans, who had one of their worst World Cup campaigns on the road to Qatar, can only watch from a distance as the world’s best enjoy the game on the grand stage in the Middle East country.
It’s a stage that some of the country’s greatest players like George “Mastermind’’ Shaya, Moses “Bambo’’ Chunga, Stanley “Sinyo’’ Ndunduma, Joel “Jubilee’’ Shambo, Stanford “Stix’’ Mutizwa, Sunday “Mhofu’’ Chidzambwa, Shacky “Mr Goals’’ Tauro, Adam “Adamski’’ Ndlovu, Benjani “Undertaker’’ Mwaruwari, Bruce “Jungleman’’ Grobbelaar, Peter “Nsukuzonke’’ Ndlovu and the recent “Golden Generation” fronted by Knowledge Musona and Khama Billiat, have never graced in their illustrious careers.
The famed “Dream Team” of the early 1990’s were the only team that came closest. The team almost made history by becoming the first local side to qualify for the most prestigious football event held in the United States in 1994.
The Warriors were only 90 minutes away from securing their first World Cup ticket but their campaign ended in tears after they were “robbed” in Cameroon in the decisive fixture.
Almost 30 years later, legendary football commentator, Charles “CNN’’ Mabika, who accompanied the team for his duties in the commentary box, still cannot process the pain he felt on the day.
“In that final group’s qualifiers, after sharing victory honours with Guinea (1-0 and 0-3) we shocked the mighty “Indomitable Lions” 1-0 on July 5, 1993, at the National Sports Stadium, with a last-gasp goal, in the 87th minute, from serial scorer, Agent “Ajira” Sawu which secured victory as the only goal of the match.
“And inevitably, three months later, in the return leg in Yaounde, it was a blood-andthunder affair as the hosts swore to turn the tables.
“And they did just that but oh, so crookedly assisted by an inept and biased referee named Alhaji Ebrima Faye from Gambia, on a sweltering October 10 afternoon.
“We had played only 15 minutes at a packed Yaounde National Stadium (now called Olembe Stadium) when a corner-kick flighted by Cameroon was cleanly intercepted and cleared by Warriors’ left-wing back Henry ‘The Bully’ McKop’s thigh in the penalty box and Faye unbelievably pointed to the penalty spot, alleging that McKop had handled the ball! Even the Cameroonian fans in that stadium were stunned.
“Up stepped their star player, Francois Oman-Biyik, to send a low shot to the right of Warriors’ ‘keeper Bruce ‘Jungleman’ Grobbelaar who made a superb block but the ball bounced back to Oman-Biyik who slotted it home for the “Indomitable Lions” opener.
“Being one of the few Zimbabweans, who had accompanied the brilliant visitors under the mentorship of the late German coach Reinhard Fabisch, it was so painful to absorb and still find the right words into my commentary box’s microphone for the live radio broadcast back home amidst utter disgust, anger and disbelief at the diabolical decision by the referee,” explained Mabika in a recent article carried by The Herald.
But Zemura has not stopped fancying a Zimbabwean World Cup appearance.
The 23-year-old has had a rapid rise in his career. In a space of two years, he has jumped from being an academy player to the Championship and then the prestigious English Premiership where he has acquitted himself well so far in his debut season. Two of his teammates were involved in Qatar.
Chris Mepham and Kieffer Moore were representing Wales at the World Cup in Qatar. But a defeat to England on Tuesday evening signalled the end of Mepham and Moore’s World Cup. Zemura and his teammates returned to training on Monday morning after a two-week break following the 3-0 win over Everton earlier in November. Zemura was voted Man-of-the-Match in that game.
He revealed his one big wish from this year’s World Cup was to see Lionel Messi, who is regarded as one of the greatest players alive, finally get his hands on the trophy.