Zifa seek friendly Callisto Pasuwa
Callisto Pasuwa

Callisto Pasuwa

Petros Kausiyo Deputy Sports Editor—
ZIFA are making frantic efforts to capitalise on this week’s FIFA international break and secure a friendly assignment for the Warriors that could kick-start the senior team’s preparations for the 2017 African Cup of Nations finals in Gabon. Warriors coach Callisto Pasuwa and team manager Sharif Mussa have been pleading with the ZIFA management to ensure they arrange some friendly assignments for Zimbabwe on the FIFA dates reserved for such matches.

ZIFA vice-president Omega Sibanda said yesterday they were making frantic efforts to finalise deals with the countries they approached to play against the Warriors. Sibanda could, however, not be drawn into revealing the identity of the teams that they are targeting.

“There are some games that we are trying to line up and we are awaiting some responses before I can give you definite answers tomorrow but we need those matches,’’ said Sibanda. The Warriors could have joined the rest of the continent’s teams in playing in the African Zone qualifiers that start on Friday.

But with Zimbabwe having been expelled from the 2018 World Cup qualifiers following ZIFA’s failure to settle on time they debt that was owed to Brazilian coach Valinhos, the Warriors can only watch that qualification drama from the sidelines.

Pasuwa and Mussa, however, want the Warriors to make use of the international break by regrouping and playing at least a friendly.

The Warriors were last in action on September 4 when they played Guinea in a final Group L qualifier in Conakry which the Sylie Nationale won 1-0 The result was, however, academic, as the Warriors had already sealed their place at the Nations Cup when they thrashed Malawi 3-0 at the National Sports Stadium on June 6.

With the Warriors out of contention for the World Cup qualifiers, Pasuwa now has to rely on ZIFA availing the resources to get his team back together at least before their official Nations Cup training camp starts.

Some of the notable World Cup qualifiers taking place this weekend include Zambia’s home date against West African giants Nigeria, Algeria’s showdown with Cameroon, Cote d’Ivoire against Mali and Ghana against Uganda in Accra.

Meanwhile, the Confederation of African Football have reiterated that Gabon remain the hosts of the 31st Nations Cup despite a wave of political unrest that has continued to rock the West African country.

CAF Communications director Junior Binyam told The Herald from Cairo yesterday, that the programme to host the continental soccer show-piece in Gabon had remained intact. Binyam said CAF would also go ahead and stage the draw for the Nations Cup in Libreville on October 19.

“CAF calendar remains as you can find it on our website. Nothing has changed. AFCON draw will be 19th October in Libreville, and final tournament 14th January — 5th February 2017 in Gabon (Libreville, Franceville, Oyem and Port-Gentil as host towns),’’ Binyam said.

There have been genuine fears the unrest in Gabon could spill into early next year and threaten the staging of the event in that country. There had also been speculation that CAF were lining up a standby hosts in the event that they were forced to move the competition from Gabon.

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