The Warriors go into battle this evening against Egypt in a 2014 World Cup football qualifier and there is no doubt that only a win will do Zimbabwe any good.
NewsDay Editorial
Anything other than that means Zimbabwe will now have to focus on the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations and the 2018 World Cup.
They have not won in the last two matches against Guinea and Mozambique and while the Pharaohs present an even tougher match, an effort has to be made.
We don’t have the experienced players to fight in Alexandria because objectives, like some of our readers believe, differ going into the match.
Egypt want to stay at the top and move to the next round of the qualifiers.
On the other hand, the Warriors are rebuilding using young players and locals who will form the basis of the next squads for the Chan qualifiers and the Cosafa Castle Cup.
That said, a new crop of players is needed and that is the direction that coach Klaus Dieter Pagels’ philosophy is taking.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
Our readers argue that the experienced players have failed us in the past, particularly the last two Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers, and we need to look elsewhere for a new Warriors team.
Denver Mukamba is the young leader of these troops and while we cannot demand much from him, it goes without saying that experienced leaders like Washington Arubi need to up their game to motivate the rest of the team.
Equally, Khama Billiat, Knowledge Musona and Ovidy Karuru are the future of the Warriors and the first steps towards that recognition should be taken tonight.
From the little information that we have managed to gather, the atmosphere in Alexandria is conducive for the Warriors and playing before a crowd of 30 000 fans should not bother them at all.
Back home, Zifa seem to have had little trouble in raising funding for airfares, appearance fees and bonuses for the players this time around, thanks to Tshinga Dube’s Football Trust.
It is our wish that when June comes for the return leg against Guinea, there shall also be a smooth flow of things.
The same should go for the Cosafa Castle Cup in Zambia in July and the Chan qualifiers the same month. We are used to Zifa moaning about this and that, setting out wrong priorities and as usual then cannot spend a week without misfiring.
Zifa need to be more serious in their approach to things and stop telling Zimbabwe that they will discipline former Premier Soccer League secretary-general Leslie Gwindi for criticising them for the way they have been running football since 2010.
This is democracy and if one feels things have gone haywire, especially with the non-conclusion of the Asiagate match-fixing scandals and the underperformance of the national team, one has the right to ask questions. And it remains a fact, which Gwindi cannot be arrested for, that between 2010 and 2013, the Warriors have had four coaches – one for each year.
Anyway, we wish the Warriors all the best tonight.
