Morale is at its lowest ebb in the Young Warriors camp ahead of this weekend’s first leg of the All-Africa Games final football qualifier against rivals South Africa at Sinaba Stadium in Benoni, South Africa.
The All-Africa Games will be held in Maputo, Mozambique.
The Young Warriors are still owed money for the game they played against Zambia in which they progressed to this round.
Team manager Wellington Mpandare confirmed that the players were unhappy at not being paid their dues and have been constantly asking him about the issue.
“The players are still to be paid and they are not happy. However, they have been training. Save for the money issue preparations for the game are going on smoothly.
“Only three players Qadr Amini, Abbas Amidu and Devon Chafa have minor knocks which I think they would have recovered from come Sunday,” he said.
The Young Warriors leave on Thursday for South Africa and Zifa president Cuthbert Dube will officially send the team off today at his Premier Service Medical Aid Society boardroom.
The Young Warriors face a South African side that is still bubbling with confidence following their 5-1 drubbing of Benin in an Olympic Games qualifier to overturn a 3-1 deficit they suffered in the first leg.
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Though the absence of midfielder Khama Billiat might have weakened the side, the Young Warriors still have enough power in the duo of Archford Gutu and Denvar Mukamba.
Also in the squad is Simba Sithole who has developed a knack for banging them in aplenty and with five goals in the qualifiers, he is one player to look to for the goals.
The Friday Phiri-coached side will also look to the experience of Mathew and Tafadzwa Rusike who have knowledge of the South African terrain as they respectively turn out for South African clubs Jomo Cosmos and Ajax Cape Town.
Zimbabwe got the better of Botswana in the last round of the competition while South Africa proved to be too powerful for Malawi
