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Sithethelelwe Sibanda

Ellina Mhlanga Sports Reporter
MIGHTY Warriors coach Sithethelelwe Sibanda says they are prepared to take any team at the COSAFA Women’s Championship in Bulawayo after they were drawn against old rivals Zambia in a draw conducted in Johannesburg, South Africa, yesterday.

Zimbabwe and Zambia will be joined by Madagascar and Malawi in Group A in what is likely to be a tightly-contested group. The tournament runs from September 13 to 24 in Bulawayo.

Group B will see East African guest nation Kenya taking on Mauritius, Mozambique and Swaziland. Three-time champions South Africa are up against Namibia, Lesotho and Botswana in Group C.

Sibanda said they were ready for any team in the tournament. “We have played Zambia several times and they are a very good team. Malawi, I think, it’s been quite a few years since they last participated in the COSAFA tournament but I believe they are also a good team.

“Teams have developed because people are really putting much into women’s football development so we are expecting tough matches and we are equally going to prepare for those matches,” said Sibanda.

In their previous meeting, Zimbabwe booted Zambia out of the Africa Women Cup of Nations in the last round of the qualifiers with back-to-back wins at Rufaro and at the Nkoloma Stadium.

The Mighty Warriors first grabbed a 1-0 win at Rufaro, followed by a 3-2 victory away in Zambia. Zimbabwe go into the tournament as the defending champions having won the last one at Rufaro in 2011 when they beat South Africa 1-0.

Banyana Banyana had won the previous three editions, in 2002, 2006 and 2008. Sibanda said they were not reading much into the past. “We don’t want to put ourselves under any pressure, this is a different year, it’s the same tournament, yes, but it’s been some years since it’s been played, so we just want to take each game as it comes.

“We don’t want to put ourselves under pressure lest we lose focus on what we want to achieve. But obviously we would want to do our best in this tournament and possibly go all the way to the finals,” said Sibanda.

All of the matches in Group A will take place at Barbourfields while all Group B games will be at Luveve.

The matches in Group C will be evenly split between the two venues.

Groups

Group A: Zimbabwe, Zambia, Madagascar, Malawi.

Group B: Kenya, Mauritius, Mozambique, Swaziland.

Group C: South Africa, Namibia, Lesotho, Botswana.

2017 COSAFA Women’s Championship pool stage fixtures

September 13 (Barbourfields): Namibia vs Botswana (10h30), Zambia vs Malawi (14h00), Zimbabwe vs Madagascar (16h30)

September 14 (Luveve): Mauritius vs Swaziland (10h30), Kenya vs Mozambique

(14h00), South Africa vs Lesotho (16h30).

September 15 (Barbourfields): Madagascar vs Malawi (10h30), South Africa vs Namibia (14h00), Zimbabwe vs Zambia (16h30).

September 16 (Luveve): Kenya vs Mauritius (10h30), Lesotho vs Botswana (14h00), Mozambique vs Swaziland (16h30).

September 17 (Barbourfields): Zambia vs Madagascar (10h30), Zimbabwe vs Malawi (14h00), South Africa vs Botswana (16h30).

September 18 (Luveve): Namibia vs Lesotho (10h30), Mauritius vs Mozambique (14h00), Kenya vs Swaziland (16h30).