Petros Kausiyo Deputy Sports Editor
ZIMBABWE Under-23 coach Callisto Pasuwa would have to wait a little longer before he can resume preparations with his Young Warriors for the All-Africa Games and Olympic Games qualifiers because cash-strapped ZIFA cannot fund an earlier camp. Pasuwa had tabled an ambitious plan that would have seen his charges going into camp on December 2, break for the festive season and then resuming work before they face Swaziland in February in the All-Africa Games qualifiers.

Swaziland are also Zimbabwe’s first round opponents in the African Under-23 Championships scheduled for the Democratic Republic of Congo and from which the top three teams at that tournament would automatically qualify for the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Young Warriors have already played the senior teams of Botswana, Swaziland and Morocco as part of their preparations with their win over Sihlangu being sandwiched by close defeats by the Zebras in Gaborone and the Atlas Lions in Agadir.

Pasuwa had requested that the Young Warriors reassemble this month, as well as early next month, in order to give him more time to assess the Under-23 players who are in the country and those dotted around the globe in such countries like the United States, England and Canada. Those preparations would also have included an international friendly against Iran in South Africa which had been arranged for today.

But ZIFA said in a statement yesterday that the match against the Iranians was now being rescheduled to early next year.

“We would like to inform the nation and the football fraternity at large that the friendly match between Zimbabwe and Iran which was supposed to take place in South Africa on the 19th of December has been postponed to early 2015,” ZIFA spokesman Xolisani Gwesela said on the association’s website.

Pasuwa has been stressing that there is very limited time between now and the weekend of February 20-22 when Zimbabwe plunge into battle for a place at the All-Africa Games by visiting Mbabane to face Swaziland in a first round assignment. The Young Warriors would then host their All-Africa Games return leg on the weekend of March 6-8 with a date against perennial campaigners and West African giants Cameroon awaiting them in the second round.

Swaziland will also be Zimbabwe’s first round opponents in the African Under-23 Championships and that match is pencilled in for the weekend of April 24-26 with the Young Warriors once again starting away.

And should they win the Under-23 Championships first round encounter the Young Warriors will face neighbours South Africa in the second round while yet another West African opponent — Senegal — will be lying in ambush to face the winner in the third round qualifier. Following the dismal failure by the Warriors to qualify for the 2015 African Cup of Nations, and the subsequent decision by ZIFA to disband the senior team and turn attention to the Young Warriors, the spotlight will no doubt fall on Pasuwa and his men for much of next year.

The outgoing Dynamos coach, who is assisted by ZPC Kariba’s Saul Chaminuka and Nation Dube of Hwange in the Young Warriors set-up, is also hoping that despite their financial woes, ZIFA will still find ways to afford him a chance to work with his enlarged squad before the local players are engaged in their various clubs’ pre-season commitments.

FC Platinum players, in particular, could miss part of the Young Warriors preparations when the miners start their own camp for the Confederation Cup assignments.

Gwesela insisted that ZIFA would also ensure the Women’s youth side is prepared for its international assignments.

“ZIFA will also fulfil its mandate to ensure that the women’s national team engages in preparatory friendly matches to gain full match fitness before the Women African Youth Championship qualifiers get under way.

“Meanwhile, the Unity Day challenge match between Zimbabwe and Tanzania women national teams has been called off due to financial constraints.

“To this effect, ZIFA urges provincial and regional leagues to organise football matches in honour of this landmark day in the history of Zimbabwe,’’ Gwesela said.

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