By Batsirai Sango.
The just ended international break provided an opportunity for Zimbabwe warriors to rewrite the wrongs and give a glimmer of hope to the challenges that have over the last months been bedeviling the nation’s most loved sport.
The Felton Kamambo led ZIFA board, incompetent to the core and completely adamant in their maladministration of national football, had to require the involvement of the government for them to vacate 53 Livingstone Avenue which invoked a FIFA ban.
As if that was not enough all venues that the national team has for years been hosting their home matches, from “Emagumeni” Barbourfields stadium in Bulawayo, Rufaro stadium and the National Sports Stadium both in Harare found themselves not meeting the continental mother body CAF’s requirements to host international matches.
With Dr Patrice Motsepe’s CAF presidency championing a high standard in stadia infrastructure this came as no surprise, and the Ivory Coast edition of the Africa cup of nations speaks to that narrative.
As a result, home matches have had to be played away from home and just across the Limpopo in South Africa, the home venue for the warriors in the just ended international break with the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers.
Regardless of the somewhat dark cloud that has been hovering on Zimbabwean football, football lovers have remained loyal, showing how much love and passion they will forever hold for the nation’s number one team. The Brave Warriors of Namibia lay in wait for the Zimbabwe Warriors, and like their opponents they also had to be content with playing home matches away from home, and Orlando Stadium in Soweto was the home venue for both teams on the 10th and 14th of October respectively.
The Warriors went into the match after getting two draws away from home in Nairobi against Harambee stars of Kenya and in Yaoundé against the indomitable lions of Cameroon. And build on that confidence they did winning 1nil courtesy of a Khama Billiat penalty in the 34th minute. The warriors would hold on to that slender lead bagging the all-important 3points.
The 2nd of the back-to-back encounters was played 4 days later at the same venue, and boy oh boy did the Zim warriors turn on the style thumping Namibia by 3 goals to 1, with Walter Musona opening the scores with a gliding effort that found the keeper off the line and somewhat flat footed and it was one nil in the 49th minute. 11 minutes later Jordan Zemura’s attempt at goal heat the hands of one of the defenders and the referee didn’t hesitate to point to the spot kick. Walter Musona would confidently step up to complete his brace with a confidently taken penalty. Prince Dube would complete the scores in the 89th minute sending the loyal fans who had turned out to support the warriors into delirium.
The win left the warriors on the cusp with 8points and comfortably on 2nd place needing either a win or draw in the next match against the Harambee stars of Kenya in the next encounter.
Qualifying for the nations cup can and will surely breathe life into the national game, and as the warriors are on the cusp one hopes they complete the job.
