Petros Kausiyo Deputy Sports Editor
AS Zimbabwean football was plunged into a soul-searching exercise following the Warriors’ shock African Nations Championships defeat by Namibia, the major question that seemed to boggle the stakeholders’ minds was — why did we change a winning team?

Exactly two weeks after being crowned COSAFA Castle Cup champions for a record-breaking fifth time with a fine 3-1 destruction of Zambia, the Warriors were suddenly a caricature of that well-drilled outfit turning on a clueless, hopeless and indifferent show.

Zimbabwe had since the inception of the CHAN tournament in Cote d’Ivoire in 2009 made it a habit of qualifying for the finals.

The rationale behind using the bulk of local players in the COSAFA Castle Cup was that the Warriors just like the rest of the sides in that competition would use Southern Africa’s flagship tournament to prepare for the CHAN qualifiers which followed a week later.

Instead, the Warriors chose to try and re-invent the wheel and questionable selection of players who were not good enough to secure places in a COSAFA team that had five South Africa-based players characterised the two legs against Namibia.

Those that had been good enough for COSAFA found themselves being dumped out of the CHAN squad.

While the coaches may argue that injuries and illness robbed them of the services of the key trio of Ocean Mushure, Jameson Mukombwe and Gerald Takwara, the technical team owe the nation an explanation on the absence of such players like Jimmy Tigere, Liberty Chakoroma, Takabva Mawaya, Innocent Mucheneka, Bruce Homora and Blessing Majarira.

Was there need to change the centre back partnership of Homora and Tigere that was so outstanding in the final against Zambia and neutralised the threat posed by Chipolopolo’s Brian Mwila and Justin Shonga?

Was there need to bring on Black Rhinos’ Herbert Rusawo when the goalkeeping area had never been a problem for the Warriors at the COSAFA tournament and Ngezi Platinum’s Mawaya had even started in the 6-0 thrashing of Seychelles.

If Tigere and Chakoroma, who had a fine COSAFA tournament, playing in every minute of the competition, were good enough to travel to South Africa alongside the likes of Karuru and Chipeta, how could they turn so bad a few days later as to fail to even make it on the bench among a side made of their Premiership peers?

Majarira might be playing in the Northern Region Division One League with Herentals, but the striker showed his potential when scoring in one of the two games he featured in South Africa and on current form, he could have been a better option in attack that was under pressure to find goals.

The decision to play CAPS United striker Abbas Amidu wide on the flanks did little to help the Warriors’ search for more goals.

ZIFA and the Warriors technical crew did not do their homework well too on winger Talent Chawapiwa, who was still eligible to play for the national team in the CHAN qualifiers and could have been released anytime this week to travel to South African outfit Baroka after helping his nation clear one major hurdle in their quest for a place in Kenya next year.

Instead what was Zimbabwe’s loss became Namibia’s gain as the Brave Warriors coach Ricardo Mannetti capitalised on the changes to the squad he had watched in awe in South Africa and ensured it is his team who will now face one of the CHAN second round’s surprise packages — Comoros Islands — in the third and final qualifying round.

Mannetti admitted his surprise at knocking out the Warriors as the Brave Warriors celebrated their first success on Zimbabwean soil.

The former Namibia midfield workhorse said Zimbabwe were always the favourites, but lacked the kind of spirit that was demonstrated by his side, which featured players that have not known domestic football for over a year because of sponsorship challenges and in-fighting back home.

“I think Zimbabwe were better than us. Technically they have very good players. They have more depth than us and also from the match fitness point of view. I count myself fortunate and I am very proud of this achievement that we beat a powerhouse like Zimbabwe.

“That is a very big achievement for Namibia. It’s not every day that you beat a country like Zimbabwe. But over and above that Zimbabwe were better prepared throughout the year than us.

“They had a league running, you had depth and could even drop some players that were at COSAFA to bring in some CAPS United players that were playing in the Champions League. We don’t even have clubs playing in the Champions League for that matter.

“So Zimbabwe, individually and as a team, are better than Namibia, but when you take it on the day Namibia had a better fight. Namibia wanted it more and I think throughout the two legs, home and away, we wanted it more even though we were playing against a stronger team than us,” said Mannetti.

Zimbabwe’s opponents in the COSAFA final — Zambia — in contrast seemed to have learnt their lessons well from that 3-1 defeat to the Warriors.

Chipolopolo coach Wedson Nyirenda had told the media that he would build on his COSAFA Cup squad, only adding players from ZESCO and Zanaco who had been absent due to Champions League and Confederation Cup commitments.

And as he did just that, the result was there for all to see as Zambia proved too powerful for Swaziland thrashing Sihlangu 7-0 on aggregate in their CHAN qualifier.

Madagascar also kept faith with the team that came a close second behind the Warriors in their COSAFA Castle Cup group stage and the Indian Ocean islanders were rewarded with a stunning 2-0 win over Mozambique in Maputo to record a 4-2 aggregate victory.

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