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Grace Chingoma Senior Sports Reporter
WARRIORS coach Callisto Pasuwa has underlined the significance of team-building and focus ahead of the African Cup of Nations and has demanded that ZIFA afford him a training camp outside Harare, which he requested from the association three months ago.

The Warriors’ provisional Nations Cup squad is expected to start camp on Boxing Day, with at least two international friendly assignments being lined up against Gabon and Cameroon in early January.

Gabon will host the Nations Cup, which will run from January 14 to February 5, with the Warriors being drawn in a group that will include Senegal, Algeria and Tunisia and which will be based in Franceville.

Pasuwa, taking cognisance of ZIFA’s limited resources, had revised his demands for a training camp in countries that are closer to Gabon.

The coach, instead, then demanded that his local training camp would have to be far away from Harare, with preference being the Lowveld or at least Kariba, which also have similar weather conditions which will confront the Warriors when they travel to Franceville.

Pasuwa said apart from having a feel of the weather conditions, experience had taught him that “it is difficult for the players to be fully focused when we are in Harare.

“There have been occasions where we have even stayed in five-star hotels, but what we are looking for at the moment is not a five-star lodging.

“We want a decent place that is more secluded, where the players are not easily distracted because we really need to focus.

“Like I had indicated to the association, I would have actually preferred any of the countries that are closer to Gabon, but if we can’t have that, then we really have to go out of Harare.

“As per our plan, we want to start camp on December 27 and we want to camp in the Lowveld and then on January 3 we will then leave if the arrangement that we play Gabon in Cameroon on January 5 is still on.

“The game against Gabon is still to be confirmed,” said Pasuwa.

Pasuwa said he was hopeful the Warriors would get time to use the conditions in Cameron before their match against the Indomitable Lions to acclimatise to the conditions in Gabon.

But it is the early days for camp which the coach appears to be worried about, especially given the background that part of his squad will be in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire when the training for the Nations Cup starts.

“We also need time for our medical team to conduct tests on all the players we have called up. But we don’t want friends and family having easy access to the squad and distracting them with this and that.

“If we can get the match against Gabon confirmed, it will also help us a lot,’’ Pasuwa said.

Pasuwa said he would only trim his squad to the final 23 on the eve of departure for Cameroon, which has tentatively been set for January 2.

“I think we will do our final selection on January 2, as the deadline is on the 3rd and we should have our final squad when we leave for Cameroon”.

Pasuwa also paid tribute to mobile cellular company NetOne, who this week splashed $250 000 to ZIFA for the senior team’s Nations Cup campaign.

“That (sponsorship) is one area, as you know starting from the preliminary round during our campaign, we have been having problems with money and as the coach you had to first sit down with the players and talk to them.

“Instead of me concentrating on the technical part, at times I had to persuade them to play or train, but we need these boys to be focused and it must be football and football,” said Pasuwa.

While Pasuwa is yet to know where exactly his charges will pitch their base, one of their opponents Senegal have confirmed they will set base in Congo Brazzavile, which borders Gabon.

According to reports from Senegal, the Lions of Teranga would then leave Congo for Franceville ahead of the start of the tournament.

Senegal will open their Group B account with a date against Tunisia.

The West Africans coach Aliou Cisse is expecting a full squad to commence preparations for a title challenge.

Senegal head of media Cire Soumare told supersport.com that they have also planned a friendly match with Congo.

“We shall camp in Congo because it is next to Gabon, so it is the same conditions and we shall also have a friendly with Congo,” Soumare said.

Senegal will face Diables Rouges on January 8 before heading to Franceville, that is in the south of Gabon and borders Congo to the north.

A former Senegal captain Cisse, who came close to winning the Nations Cup title in 2002 when they lost to Cameroon 3-2 on penalties following a goalless draw after extra time, will rely on the largely youthful side led by captain Cheikhou Kouyate, Liverpool’s Sadio Mane and Keita Diao Baldo of Lazio as they seek their maiden continental title.

Senegal will, however, be without West Ham United striker Diafra Sakho, who has been ruled out of the Nations Cup due to a recurring back injury.

The striker is likely to be sidelined for up to eight weeks including the three weeks of the continental soccer showcase.

According to SuperSport, the 26-year-old has played just 127 minutes of football this season due to the back problem and the thigh injury he sustained at Manchester United last month.

West Ham manager Slaven Bilic said the striker was not close to a return.

“We have a few knocks, but are expecting everyone to be fit except for Diafra Sakho, who will be out for six to eight weeks,” Bilic told reporters ahead of Monday’s Premier League visit to second from bottom Swansea City.

Meanwhile, the Warriors will finish the year unchanged on 102 on the FIFA World rankings and 29th on the African ladder.

Pasuwa’s men and hosts Gabon will be the lowest ranked teams at the Nations Cup.

Gabon are 110 on the world ratings and 34th in Africa.

Senegal will for the second month running remain Africa’s best team, having dislodged Cote d’Ivoire, who are now second.

The Lions of Teranga are 33rd in the world where Argentina, Brazil and Germany are in the top three teams respectively.

Another Group B side Tunisia also hold third position on the continent for the second month running, while Algeria, who meet the Warriors in the opening match of the pool in Franceville on January 15, also remained on fifth position.

Egypt are fourth.

This month’s rankings were largely unchanged as there was little activity in terms of international matches, but the Warriors could gain ground on the 2017 rankings if they perform well in Gabon.