WARRIORS coach Kalisto Pasuwa has been presented with an opportunity to assess foreign-based stars at their disposal when Zimbabwe travel to Mbabane, Swaziland, for an international football friendly match on October 15. TAWANDA TAFIRENYIKA SPORTS CORRESPONDENT
The practice match falls on the Fifa calendar for international friendlies which follows that Pasuwa has a good opportunity to have a look at some of the foreign-based players as he seeks to build a strong team for the 2016 Olympics in Brazil.
Zifa immediately gave the Warriors technical team the green light to consider players they want including foreign-based players. The association’s communications manager Xolisani Gwesela said they took pride in the independence of the technical team.
“If they feel there are players based outside the country they want to consider, it is entirely up to them. We won’t interfere in the selection of players. They bring in players they feel are the best to represent the country,” said Gwesela.
Pasuwa did not have the chance to assess his new look squad featuring only home-based players when they played Botswana in an international friendly in Gaborone last week as he was attending a Fifa technical conference in Egypt leaving his assistants Saul Chaminuka and Nation Dube in charge.
Zimbabwe lost 1-0 in that match, but now Pasuwa can now call up such players as Warriors winger Kuda Mahachi, Dutch-based midfielder Marvelous Nakamba and Sweden-stationed Archford Gutu and teenage sensation Macauley Bonne of English League One side Colchester United.
The highly-rated Bonne — born in England to Zimbabwean parents — has already declared his interest to play for Zimbabwe.
And it remains to be seen whether Pasuwa will consider him for this practice match. The Young Warriors had initially been scheduled to play Tanzania, but it later emerged that the Taifa Stars would be playing against Benin on the same day.
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Zimbabwe will also face Swaziland in the Under-23 African Championship qualifiers and the All Africa Games qualifiers.
According to the draw of the Under-23 African Championships qualifiers and the All-Africa Games qualifiers, the Young Warriors face Swaziland in Mbabane in the first round of the All-Africa Games qualifier in February before hosting them in March for the second leg next year.
The winner between the two will then meet Cameroon in the second round.
The Young Warriors will also face Swaziland in the African Championship qualifying campaign in April and should they win the encounter they will face neighbours South Africa in the second round with Senegal awaiting in the third round should they overcome their neighbours.
