UNDERFIRE Zifa president Cuthbert Dube has praised the Warriors following their 0-0 away draw to Comoros in the preliminary round, second leg of the 2016 Orange African Nations Championships (Chan) on Saturday that saw them progress to the final qualifier on a 2-0 aggregate win.
BY SPORTS REPORTER
The Warriors won the first leg in Harare 2-0 despite shambolic preparations by Zifa.
The Warriors arrived in the Comoros three hours before the match aboard a chartered Air Zimbabwe flight as financial challenges continued to bite Zifa. Coach Kalisto Pasuwa had also abandoned ship on Thursday night due to unpaid dues and was only persuaded to travel after intervention from the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC).
According to the Zifa’s official website yesterday, Dube hailed the spirit exhibited by head coach Kalisto Pasuwa and his team before and during the match, saying such dedication could take Zimbabwean football to greater heights.
“Congratulations to the team for a job well done under challenging circumstances. We are proud of the resilience displayed by both the technical team and the players in getting a favourable result away from home.
“Only such dedication towards serving national football can take Zimbabwean football to the next level as the national teams’ results have clearly shown lately,” Dube said.
While expressing gratitude to several bodies that ensured the success of the Comoros tie, Dube added that the Warriors’ progress should motivate all stakeholders to come to the fore and become part of the winning team.
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“We are grateful to the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, the Government of Zimbabwe, the Ministry of sport, arts and culture, the Sports and Recreation Commission, Air Zimbabwe, LM Auctioneers, Daisy Lodge, Tanganda Private Limited and Herentals College for their invaluable support in making the Warriors’ trip successful.
“In the face of liquidity challenges, we are still appealing to the nation as a whole to assist in every way possible to make national team preparations and assignments a success,” Dube added.
Attention will immediately shift to the Young Warriors who play South Africa in the Under 23 Championships first leg at Rufaro Stadium on July 2. The second leg is on August 2.
