Zimbabwe suffers another blow

The Zimbabwean national football team, the Warriors, have been hit with a significant setback as Tino Kadewere has withdrawn from the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifiers against Kenya and Cameroon due to a hamstring injury. Zimbabwe will kick off their Group J campaign against Kenya on Friday in Kampala, Uganda, followed by a match against Cameroon four days later, both to be held at Mandela Stadium due to the lack of Caf-certified stadiums in Kenya and Zimbabwe.

Kadewere, a key player for the Warriors, was injured while playing for his French Ligue 1 club Nantes, where he provided two assists in their 3-1 victory over Montpellier. His absence leaves Zimbabwe's attack depleted, with only Prince Dube, Obriel Chirinda, and rookie Douglas Mapfumo remaining as recognized strikers.

This comes shortly after Plymouth Argyle defender Brendan Galloway was also ruled out due to a hamstring injury, leading to his replacement by Manica Diamonds captain Farai Banda. Banda, along with Teenage Hadebe, left Harare yesterday to join the squad in Kampala.

The Warriors' locally-based players, led by the returning Khama Billiat, arrived in Kampala with head coach Michael Nees and the technical team. They were joined by most of the foreign-based players who traveled directly to Uganda. The last group of foreign-based players, including captain Marshall Munetsi, Munashe Garananga, and Jordan Zemura, are expected to join the camp today.

Nees, recently appointed as head coach, was scheduled to conduct his first training session with the team yesterday afternoon.

Warriors squad

Goalkeepers: Washington Arubi, Marley Tavaziva, Bernard Donovan

Defenders: Gerald Takwara, Munashe Garananga, Andrew Mbeba, Godknows Murwira, Emmanuel Jalai, Teenage Hadebe, Farai Banda

Midfielders: Marshall Munetsi, Andy Rinomhota, Jordan Zemura, Walter Musona, Daniel Msendami, Brian Banda, Tawanda Maswanhise, Tawanda Chirewa, Richard Hachiro, Khama Billiat

Strikers: Douglas Mapfumo, Prince Dube, Obriel Chirinda