WARRIORS coach Kalisto Pasuwa will send an emissary to South Africa to spy on Zimbabwe’s 2017 African Cup of Nations (Afcon) Group B opponents Senegal next weekend.
BY TAWANDA TAFIRENYIKA
The Lions of Teranga clash with Bafana Bafana in a 2018 World Cup qualifier at the Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane on Saturday.
Rarely has Zimbabwe taken their international assignments so serious that they would send a member of a technical team on a spying mission.
But Zifa president Philip Chiyangwa, working round the clock to ensure the Warriors are prepared for the January tournament in Gabon, has approved the trip for the technical team to spy on their opponents.
This also follows recommendations made by members of the High Performance Committee (HPC). Some of the HPC members include Sunday Chidzambwa, Moses Chunga, Rahman Gumbo, Innocent Chogugudza and Zifa vice-president Omega Sibanda who chairs the committee.
Pasuwa is set to meet Chiyangwa this week to decide on who could be assigned the trip to South Africa with one of his assistants Mkhuphali Masuku or Saul Chaminuka likely to be tasked with the job.
The Warriors coach would have wanted to carry out the special mission on his own, but with the Warriors also hosting Tanzania in an international friendly match at the National Sports Stadium on Sunday, 24 hours after Bafana the Bafana and Senegal clash, he might be forced to send an agent.
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“It’s the president who suggested it and we are in agreement. We are happy to get that kind of support as we prepare for the Afcon tournament. We are going to meet as a technical team and see who can go there to watch the match,” said Pasuwa.
He added: “Remember we also have the match against Tanzania on Sunday, so I might not be able to be back in time so we might send one of the assistant coaches. We will meet and see what we can do.”
Zimbabwe and Senegal are in Group B at the Afcon finals, considered the group of death together with Algeria and Tunisia.
With Algeria away to Nigeria in another World Cup qualifier and Tunisia taking on Libya at home, Pasuwa wants to make full use of Senegal’s visit to the southern part of the continent.
The West Africans’ squad is headlined by Liverpool striker Sadio Mane – one of the continent’s top forwards.
They won all their group matches on their way to qualify for the Afcon finals, making them one of the contenders for the title.
The Warriors are aware of what lies ahead in Gabon and have also started their preps with a friendly match against Zambia on Saturday, which the team, made up of locals won 1-0.
Teenage Hadebe scored the only goal of the match, and Pasuwa was left satisfied with the team’s overall performance.
The Warriors gaffer is tomorrow (Tuesday) set to name the squad for the Tanzania match which will have all his foreign based stars as it falls on the Fifa calendar for international matches.
The Warriors are also set to play defending champions Ivory Coast in a warm up game on Boxing Day in Abidjan, while former champions Egypt have also expressed interest to play Zimbabwe in January just before the tournament.
Zimbabwe will kick off their Afcon campaign with a clash against Algeria before taking on Senegal and will then wind up their group stages with a match against Tunisia.
