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NewsDay

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Warriors date Egypt

Sport
FORMER African football champions, Egypt have agreed to play the Warriors in an international friendly match ahead of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals to be held in Gabon in January

FORMER African football champions, Egypt have agreed to play the Warriors in an international friendly match ahead of the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals to be held in Gabon in January.

BY TAWANDA TAFIRENYIKA

The North Africans, who will be preoccupied with the World Cup qualifiers during the last Fifa international window of the year in November, however, want the match to be played in Egypt in January just before the start of the tournament.

Zifa spokesperson, Xolisani Gwesela yesterday confirmed Egypt’s interest, but said they were still to tie some loose ends regarding the date and the venue of the match.

Gwesela said the football association had not yet managed to secure an international friendly for the team for the November Fifa international window, as other top football nations would be tied up in the 2018 Fifa World Cup qualifiers.

Jamaica have also written to Zifa expressing interest to play the Warriors in an international friendly match.

“Egypt have said they want to play us in early January before the tournament. We are still in discussions with them regarding the venue and the actual date of the match. But they want the match to be played in Egypt. Most teams are playing in the World Cup qualifiers, so it is difficult to secure a friendly match during the November international break. There is also interest from Jamaica. They want to play the Warriors, but again, we are still discussing the date and venue,” Gwesela said.

Jamaica, who qualified for the 1998 World Cup in France, have a decent team that draws its players from the Major Soccer League in the United States, as well as a few in England.

Leicester captain, Wes Morgan is one of the players that local football fans would be familiar with. They also have defender Adrian Mariappa, who plays for Watford in the English Premier League, Michael Hector, who is at Bundesliga side, Eintracht Frankfurt, as well as Clayton Donaldson, who turns out for Birmingham.

It is, however, the Egypt friendly that might thrill Warriors coach, Kalisto Pasuwa.

Pasuwa has requested two friendlies against Egypt and Morocco before the Warriors head out to Gabon.

The Warriors were drawn in Group B alongside former African champions, Algeria and Tunisia, as well as Senegal, which appears to be the toughest of all the groups.

Zimbabwe will be making their third appearance at the continental football showpiece after qualifying for Tunisia in 2004 under Sunday Chidzambwa before another appearance at the finals in Egypt in 2006 under the guidance of Charles Mhlauri.

The Warriors will get the ball rolling against Algeria on January 15 at the Stade de Franceville before taking on Senegal at the same venue four days later.

They will conclude the group stages with a match against Tunisia at the Stade L’Ammitse on January 23.

Zimbabwe have never progressed beyond the group stages and Pasuwa will make history if he manages to advance to the last eight of the biennial soccer tournament.