THE Zimbabwe senior women football team will participate in a tri-nations tournament in Lesotho early next month as preparations for the 2014 Namibia African Championship qualifiers begin.
HENRY MHARA
The three day tournament, which will start on November 1 in Maseru, Lesotho, will be played between the Mighty Warriors, the host nation and Botswana.
Zimbabwe were last month drawn to play Botswana in the first round qualifier of the 2014 Namibia African Women Championships which will also serve as a qualification tournament for the 2015 Canada Fifa Women’s World Cup.
The Rosemary Mugadza-coached side will begin their campaign with a first leg match away to Gaborone on the weekend of February 13-15 before hosting their opponents in Harare two weeks later.
To prepare for the match against their western neighbours, the Mighty Warriors will compete in an invitational tournament in Maseru.
Mighty Warriors manager Charity Munemo yesterday announced a 25-member squad that is expected to report for camp ahead of the trip to Maseru.
Mugadza kept the core of the team that played the previous Afcon qualifiers, while also promoting a few lads from the junior teams. Under-17 star Grata Bande of Vainona High School made the squad, and so are Under-20 players Tafadzwa Tsunguro and Sibonginkosi Nleya of Aces Youth Academy and Inline Academy respectively.
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There is also first senior national team call-ups for Margret Kawinga of Chipembere Queens, Cyclone Queens’ Lindiwe Magwede and Kudzanai Chipawushe of Aces Youth Academy.
However, Black Rhinos Queens striker Rutendo Makore has been ruled out through injury while other regulars Rudo Neshamba and Rhoda Jongoti have excused themselves to write examinations.
The Lesotho tournament is a welcome development to the players who have been largely inactive this year due to the cancellation of the league.
The Cosafa Women Championships which was supposed to take place this month and the Mighty Warriors had hoped to use to prepare for the Afcon qualifiers has also been cancelled and will only take place next year.
