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Robson Sharuko

Senior Sports Editor

THE Zimbabwe Warriors are the first team to reach the AFCON finals, without winning a game at home, since the group format of qualifiers was first introduced by CAF in 1965. 

Although this format was abandoned, after the ’68 AFCON qualifiers, with teams returning to the knock-out process, it was brought back into operation, during the ’92 Nations Cup qualifiers. 

Since then, the CAF leaders have stuck to it, as their flagship tournament expands, both in terms of countries taking part in the qualifiers, and those now making it to the finals. 

From a tournament, which featured only three nations, who all made it by invitation in 1957, it has become a 24-team continental football festival, featuring almost half of the CAF membership. 

Remarkably, in the 18 tournaments, spread over 56 years, which CAF have used the group format of qualifiers, the Warriors are the only team who have made it to the finals, without winning any of their home matches. 

Zdravko Logarusic’s men qualified for the 2021 AFCON finals, set to be held in Cameroon next January, after finishing second to African champions, Algeria, in their group. 

The Desert Foxes won the group with ease, winning four of their six matches, and drawing the other two, against the Warriors and Chipolopolo, in high-scoring encounters, in Southern Africa. 

A six-point cushion between the Algerians, and the chasing pack led by the Warriors, showed the gulf in class between the Desert Foxes, and their group opponents.

Both Zambia and Botswana were hit for five, as they conceded a combined total of 10 goals, in their away matches against the Desert Foxes, in Algeria. The Warriors emerged as the best, of the chasing pack, grabbing the other ticket from the group, for a return to the Nations Cup finals for the third time on the trot. 

It’s also an historic achievement, in the grand scheme of the Nations Cup qualifiers, as it marks the first time a country has managed to escape from the qualifying groups, without winning a home game. 

Or, to put it the other way, it’s the first a time a country has lost seven of their nine home points, and still managed to qualify, for the Nations Cup finals. 

Usually, that’s a recipe for disaster, on a continent where winning matches, away from home, is usually very difficult, not just for the Warriors, but for most of the teams.

After all, the Warriors’ 1-0 win over Botswana in Francistown, last Thursday, was their first clean sheet on the road, in an AFCON qualifier, in 13 years. 

And, for four years, between 2010 and May 2014, Knowledge Musona was the only Warrior to score in an away World Cup/Nations Cup qualifier, with all the team’s four goals, in the nine matches on the road, during that period. 

However, it’s a measure of how the Warriors have had a change of mindset, when it comes to their battles, away from home, they beat both Zambia, and Botswana, in the 2021 qualifiers. 

A 2-1 victory over Chipolopolo in Lusaka, in Joey Antipas’ final match in charge of the team, proved as priceless, as the 1-0 victory, which Loga and his men got, against the Zebras, in Francistown. 

Given these were their direct rivals, with Algeria odds-on favourites to win the group, it meant the six points, which the Warriors collected, in Lusaka and Francistown, were worth their weight in gold. 

However, there were no home comforts for them, with a goalless draw against the Zebras, the only time Botswana picked a point on the road in these qualifiers, sparking a rebellion, among fans inside the National Sports Stadium. 

Poor Antipas turned into the target of all their fury, as the fans bombarded him with words which cannot be printed in a family newspaper like this one, on a horror night for the coach. 

However, Antipas made amends for that by leading the Warriors to a deserved victory, over Zambia, in Lusaka before his adventure, as caretaker coach, was ended by the ZIFA leadership. 

The Warriors then dropped further points, at home, in a 2-2 draw against Algeria, under Loga, with their storming comeback, from 0-2 down, providing their fans with a reason to celebrate. 

On Monday night, an inspired Chipolopolo ensured the Warriors would not pick a win, at home, throughout their campaign, as the Zambians powered to a comfortable 2-0 win over the hosts, who featured a number of fringe players. 

The Warriors, though, are not the first team to qualify, for the AFCON finals, without having won a home match. 

Tunisia were the first, in the 1962 Nations Cup qualifiers, when Nigeria, who had won their home leg 2-1, walked off the pitch in protest, during the second leg in North Africa. 

The hosts had equalised, in the 65th minute, to make it 2-2, and 3-4 on aggregate, with 25 minutes still to play, when the Super Eagles walked off, leaving the CAF bosses to award the Tunisians, a 2-0 winning margin, and a 3-2 aggregate win. 

During the 1963 Nations Cup qualifiers, Guinea were disqualified, for having breached a rule which called for home countries to provide neutral officials for their matches and, Nigeria, who had lost the contest, went through. 

The Super Eagles had been held to a 2-2 draw at home, by Guinea, and then lost 0-1 in Conakry, before the CAF bosses intervened and found the Sylie Nationale in breach of the tournament rules. 

It’s a tournament which has also had its fair share of drama and, in 1965, after Kenya defeated Ethiopia 3-2 in Nairobi, the latter complained that the Harambee Stars had fielded two players, Moses Wabwayi and Stephen Baraza, who had featured for Uganda in the past. 

CAF upheld the Ethiopian protest and overturned the scoreline, handing them a 2-0 victory instead, helping them to qualify, instead. 

Burkina Faso can also claim to have qualified, without winning a match, after having lost to Cote dÍvoire, in the ’78 AFCON qualifiers, before the Ivorians beat Mali 2-1 on aggregate, in the final qualifier.

However, Cote d’Ivoire were disqualified, for using an ineligible player, in their win over Mali. 

The Malians were also thrown out, after their police and security staff assaulted match officials, following their defeat to the Ivorians. 

Burkina Faso, who had fallen to the Ivorians, in the earlier round, were then handed the ticket to go to the AFCON finals.