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Knowledge Musona

Petros Kausiyo Deputy Sports Editor
WARRIORS skipper Knowledge Musona and his troops would have to once again contend with inactivity during this week’s international break after ZIFA failed to arrange a match on the FIFA dates with the Association citing financial constraints for the senior team’s inertia. Musona fired home a rare hat-trick by a Warriors captain as Zimbabwe opened their 2019 African Cup of Nations campaign in fine style with a 3-0 triumph over Liberia at the National Sports Stadium on June 11.

But since then, the KV Oostende striker and his Zimbabwean teammates have been in limbo and they will be armchair viewers as club football around the globe paves way for an international break with many countries involved in 2018 World Cup qualifiers. There had been hopes that after missing the Warriors would regroup this month and resume preparations for their 2019 Nations Cup qualification bid.

But those hopes were dashed following indications from ZIFA that they do not have the funds to get the Warriors back together for, at least, an international friendly during the week-long break. Warriors caretaker coach Norman Mapeza, who presided over the encounter against the Liberians, had been expected to take charge of the international friendly.

But the FC Platinum gaffer would now have to wait for another month before he can get a chance to assess a host of players that have been hovering on the horizons of national team selection. The senior team’s interim manager Wellington Mpandare had also put in place an audacious plan to get some of the Zimbabweans based in the United Kingdom to come home for national duty and be assessed by Mapeza.

However, all that came to nought with ZIFA confirming last night that there would be no matches for the Warriors between October 6-14, including a plan to face Iran in Teheran. ZIFA board member competitions Piraishe Mabhena said although they had received inquiries from countries like Equatorial Guinea, Tanzania and Lesotho, they had failed to confirm any international match due to financial challenges.

Equatorial Guinea will, instead, now take on Mozambique in Malabo. Mabhena said ZIFA had committed the bulk of the resources they had to hosting the COSAFA Women’s Championships which ran in Bulawayo from September 13-24 and in which the Mighty Warriors finished runners-up following a 2-1 defeat by South Africa.

“As things stand now there is no confirmation in place for an international fixture for the Warriors. We had received some enquiries from Equatorial Guinea, Tanzania, Swaziland and Lesotho but what stopped us from being able to confirm any of those games were the financial commitments that ZIFA had. During the COSAFA Women’s tournament there were a lot of financial commitments that we had to deal with and as a result we could not confirm anything for the Warriors. In fact on the day of the Women’s final (Septmber24) it was the deadline day by which we should have confirmed our international friendlies to FIFA,’’ Mabhena said.

Mabhena said the ZIFA board were now seized with trying to secure resources to fully use the last available dates for 2017, which will be November 6-14.

“We are now targeting the last November dates and try and arrange two games and the ZIFA board is running around for resources so that we could have a home and an away match and also have to fulfil the due notice period required by FIFA now but the main issue is that of funds,’’ Mabhena said. In line with the amended regulations governing the staging of international matches, countries now have to confirm with FIFA the dates and identity of their opponents at the latest two weeks before the encounter.

This would also help FIFA to compel clubs to release players for international duty during the prescribed dates and in terms of the rules and regulations. FIFA underscored the need to observe the regulations governing international matches in a circular to member associations in July.

“In recent weeks we have unfortunately noticed the gradual increase in the lack of thoroughness by some applicants with regards to important principles established in the different FIFA regulations including the FIFA regulations governing international matches, regarding the organising of Tier 1 international matches/competitions.

“This lack of compliance has caused serious difficulties as the required official authorisation by the Confederations and/or by FIFA then have to be swiftly expedited. Firstly, we would like to remind you that the deadline of least 14 days prior to any planned Tier 1 international match or competition for the submission of the final authorisation request containing all required member and Confederation authorisation to FIFA must be adhered to in order to ensure that the required documentation can be properly gathered, studied and subsequently authorised or rejected in accordance with the regulatory provisions.

“In addition, further deadlines and obligations set out in the FIFA regulations governing international matches must be complied with. Secondly, we would like to urge all FIFA members not to forget the provisions of Annexe 1 of the FIFA regulations on the status and transfer of players when applying for Tier 1 match or competition. All the inherent aspects such as release of players, club protection program, test days and number of matches in one single international window etc. are clearly stated ion the aforesaid regulations,’’ read of part of the circular from FIFA.

The world soccer governing body also stressed that only a maximum of six substitutes could be used in an international match with use of more than half a dozen replacements virtually reducing such a contest to a mere training game.