DYNAMOS defender Ocean Mushure and Monomotapa star midfielder Ronald Chitiyo have been ruled out of the African Nations Championship (Chan) first leg tie against Mauritius on Sunday owing to injury.
Report by Tawanda Tafirenyika
Chicken Inn striker Tendai Ndoro, scorer of a double against Lesotho in Zambia, has also been ruled as he attends trials with Bidvest Wits in South Africa.
But new Warriors coach Ian “Dibango” Gorowa has responded by calling up talented Dynamos midfielder Tawanda Muparati with Augustine Mbara also finding his way back into the team as a replacement for Mushure. Fellow team mate Partson Jaure is also in the team.
Caps United striker Dominic Chungwa, Shabanie Mine’s Nelson Maziwisa and Highlanders midfielder Milton Ncube also received call ups and will be part of the 18- man squad set to travel to Mauritius today.
Harare City goalkeeper Maxwell Nyamupanedengu has been dropped with Caps United shot stopper Tafadzwa Dube and Highlanders’ Munyaradzi Diya making the cut.
Gorowa was installed as the Warriors coach yesterday — replacing Klaus Dieter Pagels, who leaves his post to take up a six month sports job in his home town of Stade where he will be teaching school kids.
The former Dynamos and Black Rhinos forward said it was an honour to coach the Warriors.
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“I have accepted this job as a long-term tenure. It’s a privilege for me to be heading the national team and in the circumstances where the team has slightly fallen back, I will have to try and improve,” said Gorowa.
He added: “Football is a game of opinions and I have my own reservations on the way football should be played. Tiki-taka is good, but I believe a coach is judged by results and I will try to improve on what has been done. The team played well in Zambia, but they lost. I believe Sunday Chidzambwa and Charles Mhlauri are the two best coaches to lead Zimbabwe because they took Zimbabwe to the highest level whereby they qualified for the African Cup of Nations in 2004 and 2006. And I will try to emulate that and if I can do better than that so be it.”
The Warriors trained twice yesterday at the National Sports Stadium under the watchful eyes of Gorowa and his assistants Kalisto Pasuwa, Jairos Tapera and goalkeepers’ coach Richard Tswatswa.
Gorowa revealed he had no say in the appointment of Pasuwa whom he said has been in the structures already as assistant to Peter Ndlovu in the Under-23 technical team set up.
He said Pasuwa, whom he played with during their days at Dynamos, had also earned his stripes after winning two league and cup doubles with Dynamos.
Zimbabwe are seeking a third successive appearance at the Chan tournament having taken part in the last two editions in Cote d’Ivoire in 2009 and Sudan two years later.
The winner of the second and final round of the qualifiers will play the winner between Botswana and Zambia, who also clash in the first leg this weekend in Gaborone.
Goalkeepers: Munyaradzi Diya Tafadzwa Dube Defenders: Hardlife Zvirekwi, Partson Jaure, A Mbara, Felix Chindungwe, Eric Chipeta, Prosper Matizanadzo Midfielders: T Muparati, Masimba Mambare, Devon Chafa, Charles Sibanda, Silas Songani, A Sadiki Strikers: Simba Sithole, Dominic Chungwa, Milton Ncube, N Maziwisa
