Fredrick Moyo
The Warriors received a major blow to their aspirations towards their maiden World Cup appearance as some of their star players are set to miss the return fixture against the Black Stars of Ghana at the National Sports Stadium (NSS) in Harare on October 12, 2021.
United Kingdom (UK) based players Marvelous Nakamba ( Aston Villa) and Tendai Darikwa are set to miss the return fixture against Ghana due to travelling restrictions set by the British government, barring fully vaccinated players from travelling to countries on its Covid-19 red list zone.
Zimbabwe and Ghana will first clash at the Cape Coast Sports Stadium in Ghana on October 9 before locking horns in the return fixture three days later in Harare.
Speaking to TellZim News, football followers in Masvingo expressed their feelings and sentiments towards that setback of missing key players in such a crucial fixture.
Fungai Jeke a big fan of the game said that they are expecting a good game as Ghana is a big team and they are strong contenders in the group though they currently trail log leaders South Africa.
“Ghana is one of the strongest teams in Africa and this is a big blow to the team as key and trusted players will not be available for the encounter. However, I think we can play a good game with the players that will be available as we expect positive results and anything can happen in football,” said Jeke.
Brighton Chedondo also said the blow really affects the team’s stability and rhythm as they will only feature in the away fixture hence are likely to struggle without our wonder boy Nakamba.
“The thing of playing one game and not featuring in the other really affects the team’s stability and rhythm as there will have to be another first 11 for the return fixture at home, and the team really struggles without Nakamba so I do not see us being victorious and qualify for the global showcase,” said Chedondo.
However, Takunda Sunbeam Mandava shared a different sentiment as he said that the Warriors would win all their remaining games as the problems that the team was facing have already been sorted.
“Definitely we are going to win with or without the UK-based players. As much as they are important we are going to win because what needed to be changed was from using a Paraffin stove (Zdravko Logarusic) to an electric stove (Norman Mapeza), so this is a win for us and we are definitely qualifying for the World Cup,” said Mandava.
Currently The Warriors occupy bottom position on the table with one point from a possible six after playing to a goalless draw against neighbour South Africa before losing 1 – 0 to unfashionable Ethiopia in Addis Ababa in the second game.
A win in Ghana will revive the nation’s hope as it may prove to be the stepping-stone for the turnaround of fortunes getting the campaign back on track.
An uphill task awaits the senior national soccer team after dismal performance under the tutelage of former coach Logarudic.
Collecting maximum points in the next two fixtures will be the only way to go for Mapeza and his troops and only time will tell.
