Pasuwa wants better preps Callisto Pasuwa
Callisto Pasuwa

Callisto Pasuwa

Petros Kausiyo Deputy Sports Editor
YOUNG Warriors coach Callisto Pasuwa has warned that Zimbabwe will need to abandon the tradition of horror trips if they are to clear the South African hurdle and keep alive their 2016 Olympic dream.

The Young Warriors will face South Africa’s Amaglug-glug in a final African Under-23 Championships qualifier, first leg tie at Rufaro on July 17, with victory over the two-legged assignment guaranteeing the winners a place at the finals in Senegal in December.

Pasuwa, who also doubles as Warriors coach, yesterday issued a chilling warning that the national teams could not continue being served with a dosage of chaotic preparations and ride on their luck if they are to qualify for the major continental tournaments.

“The condition in Comoros is coastal weather and when you consider our travelling it was not proper to head straight to the field from the plane,” said Pasuwa.

“No-one was at the airport to welcome us and the people in Comoros claimed that no-one had communicated to them about our travel plans, they said they had spent three days going to the airport each day to check on us until they gave up and thought we were never coming.

“So when we were eventually cleared by immigration at their airport, we were whisked away to the stadium because there was no time.

“Although I had told the players to take a lot of water, they had breathing problems for the first 30 minutes because of the humidity and we had to keep reminding them not to go all out pound for pound with them.

“We were also playing against the wind at one stage and I must say these youngsters fought bravely on a heavy pitch where the artificial turf has more granules and the ball moves very slowly.

“We were also very solid at the back and we could have also scored a goal or two from the chances that we created especially after Marshal Mudehwe and Malvin Gaki had come on.

“But I am saying we should not have a repeat of such arrangements and if we face a more organised team, we can easily get punished,’’ Pasuwa said.

The 44-year-old coach had wanted the Young Warriors to begin preparations today but ZIFA have indicated to him that he would have to be content with having another round of few days of preparations.

“South Africa are seasoned campaigners. They are very organised in everything that they do and they can assemble a solid team..

“We now need to prepare on time, we cannot continue to do business the way we have been doing and then expect to be lucky on match day. If I had it my way we should have gone into camp tonight and trained this week and then release the players for their club duties on Friday and we regroup next Monday.

“We can’t leave anything to chance,’’ Pasuwa said.

Pasuwa noted that unlike his African Nations Championships squad or his African Cup of Nations side that have more experienced players, some of his Under-23 players have not been playing regularly at their clubs and would need “even more time to prepare’’.

“You will find that with the Under-23 players some of them are not being used regularly at their clubs and some are first team substitutes, which makes a difference with maybe playing every weekend in the reserve side in terms of match fitness.

“So we have to manage their fitness levels and hence we need more training time,’’ Pasuwa said.

Pasuwa has also been forced to delay naming his Young Warriors as local players continue to leave the country for trial stints with various clubs mainly in South Africa.

Skipper Wisdom Mutasa is already a doubt for the Young Warriors clash against Amaglug-glug as he is currently on trials in Slovakia together with his FC Platinum teammate Walter Musona.

The pair is with Slovakia top-flight club FC Senica and they featured in a 5-0 winning cause in a friendly against Czech Republic side Banik Ostrava.

Meanwhile, ZIFA have lauded the Warriors for successfully negotiating past Comoros.

ZIFA president Cuthbert Dube, in statement on the association’s website, paid tribute to the government, Air Zimbabwe and other individuals and companies who came on board to assist them fly the Warriors to Comoros.

Dube said the spirit shown by Pasuwa and his team before and during the match, saying “such dedication can take Zimbabwean football to great 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 that Zimbabwe can be a force to be reckoned with.

“We are grateful to the Government of Zimbabwe, the Ministry of Sport, Arts and Culture, the Sport and Recreation Commission, the Reserve Bank of Zimbabwe, 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 teams’ preparations and assignments successful,” Dube said.

You Might Also Like

Comments

Take our Survey

We value your opinion! Take a moment to complete our survey