Sports / Soccer
Zimbabwe Warriors finally leave for Malawi by road
12 Jun 2015 at 13:22hrs | Views
ON THE ROAD: Warriors coach Calisto Pasuwa boards the Munorurama coach which ferried the team to Malawi this morning.
The Warriors finally left for Malawi by road Friday just before 12pm for Saturday's 2017 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against the Flames in Blantyre.
Initially, the team was scheduled to leave for Malawi on Thursday afternoon but the players refused to leave their hotel to go to the airport as they demanded their allowances and match fees from Zifa.
In the end, Prophetic Healing Ministries (PHD) leader Walter Magaya on Thursday night agreed to pay the players their demands.
After the PHD leader's intervention, the Warriors were scheduled to leave for Malawi Friday morning but the trip was further delayed as Zifa looked for alternative transport.
The Warriors finally left their hotel just before 12 noon and are now expected to arrive in Blantyre by 12am Saturday.
Coach Calisto Pasuwa and his player do not have much time to rest as they head straight to Kamuzu Stadium for the match which is scheduled to kick-off at 14:30.
The Warriors only began training on Wednesday ahead of this crucial tie as bungling by Zifa resulted in Pasuwa only naming his squad on Tuesday.
Pasuwa had refused to name the squad as he had not been paid since he was appointed coach on a interim basis last year.
The squad was only released after the intervention of Sports minister Andrew Langa, who also made arrangements for Thursday's aborted flight to Malawi.
However, defender Partson Jaure had earlier reckoned that Saturday's showdown with Malawi will present the team with a big test of their pedigree to qualify for the 2017 African Nations Cup finals.
"Malawi are a good side and they will be tough opponents but I think what we really need to do in this game is to keep our focus," Jaure said.
"It is a big test of character for us because if we win this match it will obviously boost our confidence. This is the match that should gauge us on how we are going to fare in this whole campaign.
"We are going there to get a positive result and it is very possible given the players that are in camp."
Initially, the team was scheduled to leave for Malawi on Thursday afternoon but the players refused to leave their hotel to go to the airport as they demanded their allowances and match fees from Zifa.
In the end, Prophetic Healing Ministries (PHD) leader Walter Magaya on Thursday night agreed to pay the players their demands.
After the PHD leader's intervention, the Warriors were scheduled to leave for Malawi Friday morning but the trip was further delayed as Zifa looked for alternative transport.
The Warriors finally left their hotel just before 12 noon and are now expected to arrive in Blantyre by 12am Saturday.
Coach Calisto Pasuwa and his player do not have much time to rest as they head straight to Kamuzu Stadium for the match which is scheduled to kick-off at 14:30.
Pasuwa had refused to name the squad as he had not been paid since he was appointed coach on a interim basis last year.
The squad was only released after the intervention of Sports minister Andrew Langa, who also made arrangements for Thursday's aborted flight to Malawi.
However, defender Partson Jaure had earlier reckoned that Saturday's showdown with Malawi will present the team with a big test of their pedigree to qualify for the 2017 African Nations Cup finals.
"Malawi are a good side and they will be tough opponents but I think what we really need to do in this game is to keep our focus," Jaure said.
"It is a big test of character for us because if we win this match it will obviously boost our confidence. This is the match that should gauge us on how we are going to fare in this whole campaign.
"We are going there to get a positive result and it is very possible given the players that are in camp."
Source - dailynews
