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Zivanai Muwashu
THE Friends of the Warriors take great exception to a report published in The Herald of Monday 6 July 2015.

The article claims that our fans caused chaos at the airport in Comoros because they did not have necessary visa fees.

Members of the Friends of Warriors are law abiding supporters who have accompanied the National team on most of its foreign trips successfully and cheering the team to victory.

The Friends of the Warriors were one of the key stakeholders working with Zifa and the SRC preparing for the trip to the Comoros Islands.

We were determined to ensure that the trip was a success.

As has always been the norm, the Friends of Warriors requested SRC to subsidise the supporter’s airfares to which they agreed.

We want to put it on record that all members of the Friends of Warriors paid the agreed airfares for the chartered plane which were receipted by the SRC and we have receipts to support this.

It must be noted that the logistics of the Comoros trip were being handled by the SRC and at no time did the Friends of Warriors negotiate with ZIFA.

The Friends were well advised on all the costs involved during the trip including accommodation and Visa fees.

Such information was communicated to the travelling fans.

The executive of the Friends of the Warriors made sure all travelling supporters had the required funds.

When we arrived in Comoros, the fans took care of their transport costs to and from the stadium as well as buying their own food.

But they all made sure they reserved their visa fees.

However, complications arose when the Comoros immigration officials inflated the visa fees. We calculated the conversion rate of 30 euros to US dollars and this translated to US$36 but the Comoros immigration indicated that it was US $50.

It was at this juncture that the supporters queried anomaly and we complained to the Comoros authorities without confronting the officials.

The challenge now was how the difference was to be paid since most of the supporters had budgeted the exact amount.

One member of the Friends of the Warriors then attempted to use his Visa card to pay the difference but unfortunately the Comoros Immigration did not have a visa machine.

A kind member of the delegation then came to our rescue and helped us pay the required visa fees.

We also would like to categorically state that Friends of Warriors are independent body and it was never created by the ZIFA board. As per our principle, we support the leadership of the day at ZIFA.

The Friends of Warriors would like to put it on record that they are leaders of the supporters and their mandate is limited to cheering the team and mobilising support.

It is not an extension of the ZIFA Board as reported neither are they lapdogs of anyone.

We note with concern that a certain section of the media choose to write only the negative issues but ignoring how 15 supporters braved the hot weather in Comoros as they cheered their team to a positive result with some fainting because of the high temperatures.

Nobody cares how five elderly women who survive on vending sacrificed their time and resources to support the team in the Comoros.

We will not be deterred by negative forces and we will not be distracted in our efforts to cheer Warriors to victory.

As our name suggest we are all weather friends of the Warriors.