The Warriors trio of Quincy Antipas, Obert Moyo and Terrance Mandaza have been ruled out of the teams 2013 Africa Cup of Nations football qualifier match away to Burundi on Wednesday as problems continue to mount in the squad.
Denmark-based speedy winger Antipas is down with an ankle injury while Moyo has been dropped by the Warriors technical team due to disciplinary reasons.
Mandaza, who turns out for South African Premiership side Platinum Stars, has been left out after his club said they could only release the player for national duty on Monday after fulfilling a league fixture on Sunday.
Platinum Stars play Bloemfontein Celtic on Sunday afternoon, the same day the Warriors are scheduled to leave for Bujumbura.
There was no immediate comment from the technical team on who would be replacing the trio. Zifa communications manager Nicolette Dhlamini-Moyo yesterday confirmed to NewsDay Sport the three would not travel to Bujumbura.
Dhlamini-Moyo said Moyo, who has been transfer-listed by Hwange together with Gerald Ndlovu and Andrew Chuma for indiscipline, had been told to clear his name before he could be received in the Warriors set-up.
It also emerged yesterday that some of the foreign-based players were no longer coming in for camp, but would instead fly straight from their bases to Bujumbura. Warriors talisman Knowledge Musona of TSG Hoffenheim in Germany and Belgium-based defender Vusa Nyoni have club commitments over the weekend and Zifa have already made arrangements for the duo to fly direct to the Burundi capital.
The other Europe-based players are expected to join camp before the Sunday departure.
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Onismor Bhasera, who plies his trade with Englands second-tier club Plymouth Argyle, was expected in the country yesterday evening while Musawenkosi Mguni (FC Terek Grozny, Russia), Dickson Choto (Warsaw, Poland), Noel Kaseke (AC Omonia, Cyprus) and Archford Gutu (Kalmar FF, Sweden) are expected this afternoon.
The South Africa-based trio of Tinashe Nengomasha, Tapuwa Kapini and Carrington Nyadombo, who will also be involved in their respective clubs matches over the weekend, will link up with the bulk of the team in South Africa on Sunday before connecting to Burundi.
However, there was hope that Sundowns Esrom Nyandoro, whose club is playing tomorrow night, would make it to Harare on Saturday morning. These travelling arrangements, reminiscent of the teams trip to Cape Verde last year, will leave interim coach Rahman Gumbo with just a day to prepare his team for the match.
In that forgettable trip to Cape Verde for the 2012 Afcon final qualifier, the Warriors travelled in batches and only assembled at the match venue two days prior to the match and the consequences of that are well documented.
The Warriors technical team, however, got down to serious business yesterday with a training session at Rufaro Stadium in the morning, followed by another one in the afternoon at the same venue. But, only nine players were in attendance.
Kaizer Chiefs new signing Abbas Amidu and the Botswana-based duo of Arnold Chaka and Mandla Sibanda who play for Mochudi Centre Chiefs and Botswana Meat Commission respectively, were the only foreign-based players, who trained.
Denver Mukamba, George Chigova, Rodreck Mutuma, Marlon Jani, Godfrey Moyo and Tapiwa Khumbuyani completed the list of the players who were at Rufaro.
The FC Platinum duo of Donald Ngoma and Charles Sibanda were expected to join later in the day. Warriors assistant coaches Peter Ndlovu and David Mandigora took charge of the training session while Richard Tswatswa worked with the goalkeepers. Gumbo was said to be in Zvishavane and was expected in the capital last night.
SQUAD Goalkeepers: T Kapini (AmaZulu, SA), M Jani (Motor Action), G Chigova (Dynamos) Defenders: T Khumbuyani (Caps United), N Kaseke (AC Omonia, Cyprus), O Bhasera (Plymouth Argyle, England), G Moyo (Motor Action), D Choto (Legia Warsaw, Poland), A Chaka (Mochudi Centre Chiefs, Botswana), C Nyadombo (Amazulu, SA) Midfielders: T Nengomasha, A Amidu (Kaizer Chiefs, SA), E Nyandoro (Mamelodi Sundowns, SA), V Nyoni (KFC Germinal Beerschot, Belgium), D Mukamba (Dynamos), A Gutu (KFF, Sweden), M Sibanda (Botswana Meat Commission, Botswana) Strikers: R Mutuma (Dynamos), C Sibanda, D Ngoma (FC Platinum), K Musona (TSG Hoffenheim, Germany), M Mguni (FC Terek Grozny, Russia)
