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• Prophet bails out Warriors

• Team set to travel today

GOOD SAMARITAN . . . Prophet Walter Magaya provided a last-minute rescue package for the Warriors last night by paying them dues ahead of the trip to Malawi today

Robson Sharuko Senior Sports Editor
PROPHET Walter Magaya provided a last-minute rescue package for the Warriors last night, paying the players and technical staff the allowances and match fees they were demanding, and ensuring that the senior national team fulfils the 2017 Nations Cup tie against Malawi in Blantyre tomorrow.

The Prophetic Healing and Deliverance Ministries leader, a football-mad prophet who also bankrolled the trip by the Warriors to the COSAFA Cup last month by unveiling more than $50 000 for the adventure, was forced to intervene and resolve another crisis after a dramatic day for the senior national team.

The Warriors pulled out of their trip to Malawi yesterday, with the players refusing to leave their team hotel and travel to the Harare International Airport to catch their flight, as they demanded payment for their allowances and match fees.

Trouble had exploded on Wednesday night when ZIFA officials addressed the players and, immediately, there was an impasse with the two parties falling out over how much the Warriors would receive in daily allowances, and match fees, for this Nations Cup tie.

Yesterday, an agreement could not be struck between the two parties and the players decided to boycott the trip, the latest major setback to the preparations for the crucial tie, which started with coach Callisto Pasuwa withdrawing his services on Monday because he hasn’t been paid for the nine months he has led the Warriors and Young Warriors .

Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Andrew Langa was forced to intervene and persuaded Pasuwa to continue working for the Warriors, while the Government would look into his issue, and the Warriors’ squad was only announced on Tuesday.

But while everything appeared to be back to normal, with the team set to leave for Malawi yesterday, another crisis exploded when the Warriors refused to make the trip until they had been paid their allowances and match fees.

The Warriors were then summoned for a meeting with ZIFA president Cuthbert Dube at his Groombridge mansion, which went on for about four hours, where he assured the players he would pay them the $42 000 needed for their allowances and match fees on their return from Malawi next week.

The team, too, would now have to travel by bus rather than fly to Malawi.

As the drama unfolded, Magaya, who has also bankrolled the Mighty Warriors on a number of occasions this year, decided to intervene and play his part to resolve the crisis and went to meet the players and their technical team at Daisy Lodge in the capital last night.

He then told The Herald that he talked to the players and their coaches and told them that he would meet the financial burden that had led them to boycott the trip to Malawi earlier in the day.

“When we heard that the team had failed to travel, I felt that I had a responsibility to help and I talked to the coach and the captain and they were very, very cooperative and clearly willing to go to Malawi and fly our national flag high,” Magaya said.

“On behalf of the nation, and on behalf of my partners, I felt that it was important that I help the team so that they travel to Malawi because the African Cup of Nations is a very important tournament and we can’t be seen, as a nation, failing to play in such a tournament.

“That is why I came to where the Warriors are camped and, even as I speak to you, I am still there and talking to the them, it’s about 11pm now and I have had a long day, I am tired, but this is a national issue and I have to be seen to be playing my part to try and help my country.

“Soccer is a very important game in this country, it unites our nation and we can’t afford to let the challenges overwhelm us, we have to be united, for the sake of our nation, and that is why I am still here, so late, trying to ensure that we get things in order.

“The players and their coach really want to play against Malawi and there were issues over money and what I have done is that I have told the players that we will pay them their dues and they now need to go out there and fly our national flag high in this important tournament.”

Magaya said he was concerned that arrangements were being made for the Warriors to travel to Malawi by road early this morning.

“Talking to the captain and the coach, there are fears that fatigue could affect them, if they go by road and we were looking at the possibility of them flying to South Africa and then connecting to Malawi so that they arrive at about 1pm tomorrow (today),” said Magaya.

“Obviously, there was a booking made for them to fly to Malawi and we have to find ways of how best we can manage that and ensure that the guys fly, that is my prayer right now, because we need them to be fresh when the game starts.

“I also suggested that, when they come back from Malawi, we should sit down and plan the way forward so that we don’t get into the kind of situations that we are in right now.

“I am going to Botswana on July 2 for a crusade and if I can’t help to solve our challenges here, surely, how do you expect the people in Botswana to expect me to help them solve their challenges?”

Magaya, who has a stake in Division One side Gunners, has turned into domestic football’s Good Samaritan and bailed out the Warriors and Mighty Warriors this year.

Last year, he revealed he was always pained that the Warriors were always absent at major football tournaments like the Nations Cup and World Cup finals.

Speaking during the launch of the Yadah TV Knock-out Cup, for the ZIFA Northern Region Division One League, Magaya said it was always his dream to one day see the Warriors taking on the best of the globe at the World Cup.