THE COSAFA Cup squad is scheduled to go into camp in Harare on Monday ahead of the tournament to be staged in South Africa later this month.
BY TAWANDA TAFIRENYIKA
Zifa spokesperson Xolisani Gwesela said the other national team — the Under-23 squad to face Swaziland in an African Championship qualifiers also this month would join camp at a date yet to be advised.
“I can confirm that the team for the Cosafa tournament will go into camp on Monday. We will advise on their travel arrangements. The date for camp for the Under-23 team will also be advised in due course,” Gwesela said.
Head coach Kalisto Pasuwa will take charge of the Under-23 African Championship qualifier against Swaziland on the weekend of May 22-24 in Harare with first assistant coach Saul Chaminuka guiding the Cosafa team in South Africa during the same weekend. Pasuwa has named a 21-man provisional squad and kept faith in the stars that helped Zimbabwe qualify for the All-Africa Games after beating highly-rated Cameroon 2-1 on aggregate.
He will, however, join Chaminuka in South Africa for the Cosafa tournament alongside five Under-23 players Kelvin Moyo, Livingstone Genti, Tatenda Mudehwe, Prichard Mphelele and Carlos Rusere after the Swaziland encounter.
Zifa has been forced to raise two teams for the two assignments due to a clash of dates.
The Under-23 side faces Swaziland in Harare — the same weekend Zimbabwe will clash against Namibia in their second match of the Cosafa Cup on May 21 in Moruleng, South Africa.
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Zimbabwe are in Group A of the Cosafa championships alongside Namibia and the Seychelles. They get their campaign underway with a date against Mauritius on May 17 before facing off Namibia four days later.
The Young Warriors will then make the trip to Swaziland on the weekend of May 29-31 for the second leg of the qualifiers.
The winner of that encounter will face South Africa in the final qualifying round with the victors sealing a ticket for the finals to be held in Senegal.
The top three teams at the finals in Senegal will automatically qualify for the 2016 Olympics to be held in Brazil, while the fourth-placed team will be involved in a play-off against an Asian team.
COSAFA Cup squad:
G Chigova (SuperSport, SA), B Donovan (How Mine), T Munditi (Harare City), H Zvirekwi (Caps United), D Sibanda (Highlanders), J Jangano (Gunners), G Murwira (Dynamos), R Kawondera (Flame Lily), D Phiri (Chicken Inn), T Magorimbo (ZPC Kariba), R Manuvire (ZPC Kariba), R Chitiyo (Dynamos), T Chipunza (Triangle), E Chirambadare (Chicken Inn), T Chawapiwa (Harare City), E Rusike (Hwange)
