Team selection cost the Warriors dearly at Afcon

AT least we don't have to watch the Warriors playing anymore. They suffered a catastrophic meltdown at the Africa Cup of Nations by crashing to two defeats and a draw to exit the tournament at the first hurdle.

The 4-2 humiliation by a rather ordinary looking Tunisian side in their third and final Group B match brought to an end a frustrating cycle of promise and despair that Zimbabweans have now become accustomed to.

When our Warriors sealed their Afcon qualification with a game to spare, enthusiasm was high that this could be the year for them to go beyond the group stages as they had displayed some ruthless efficiency in dumping opponents from contention for a place at the continent's football showpiece.

Their swift qualification and high scoring qualifiers left football fans sensing some high intentions of success ahead. It was no wonder that the 2-2 draw in the opening match against Algeria last week convinced most sceptics that our Warriors were not in Gabon to make up the numbers, but to compete.

After all, the boys came from a goal down to take the lead. They even threatened to overrun the Algerians, but poor finishing and a shocking tactical switch that saw them dropping to defend deep inside their own half left them susceptible to mistakes. Algeria duly punished the Warriors' naivety of trying to defend a one-goal advantage instead of going for more with a late equaliser.

It was, however, the second game against Senegal that was to prove that the Warriors were not yet ripe for major tournaments outside the qualifiers. Our boys were completely outplayed, out-thought and overrun, although the 2-0 loss was forgiven taking into account the West Africans' number one ranking in Africa. The truth is that any hopes we harboured of beating the Lions of Teranga were just mere fantasies blinded by the Warriors' flattering first half performance against Algeria.

If the match against Senegal exposed our glaring shortcomings, then the 4-2 humiliation by Tunisia on Monday night triggered questions of how the team is selected and how adjustments are made as the tournament wears on.

It was quite astonishing that coach Kalisto Pasuwa deployed the same methods that didn't work against Algeria and Senegal in the game against Tunisia.

We wonder whether the coach was out of his depth or the players did not understand his philosophy. It was evident the tactics and manpower deployed were wrong, and this was made only more obvious by the results.

The Warriors had a disastrous night in defence on Monday night and Pasuwa's tactical plan worked directly into the hands of the Tunisians. By the time he switched tactics, Tunisia had already banged in four goals.

His team selection raised eyebrows. For example why he persisted with Nyasha Mushekwi to lead the attack in all three games remains a mystery.

Mushekwi was virtually non-existent in attack, lost countless balls that came his direction and his every attempt to prove his critics wrong further exposed the extent to which his form has dipped.

His only contribution was the penalty conversion in the 2-2 draw against Algeria otherwise he didn't deserve the amount of game time Pasuwa gave him.

Tendai Ndoro would have done a better job against the Tunisians and he proved it with a goal when brought on.

Pertinent questions have to be asked about the latest disaster of a miserable Afcon for the Warriors in which they conceded goals in the opening 15 minutes. It's impossible to dress up or to make excuses for the disappointing performances and Pasuwa and his principals at Zifa have to answer them because every decision they made blew up right in their faces.

It's a huge concern when the Warriors continue backsliding on the big stage due to the same problem of alleged player favouritism and interference in selection by Zifa officials and agents.

Let's stop this hostage taking of our national football by greedy agents and officials for self- enrichment at the expense of national pride.

Our flag continues to be disgraced by undeserving players that are parachuted into the national team for commercial reasons that have nothing to do with football.

Zifa knows these agents and officials and we wonder why no action is being taken against them. We are tired of agents and officials imposing their players that can't even make the cut.

We know that playing at the Afcon comes with huge financial rewards as our players will return home about $30 000 richer despite their failure to win a single match.

These are rich pickings these agents and officials will obviously demand a share of for getting the players selected.

This cannot simply go on without some sort of reckoning and both the Warriors' technical department and the Zifa executive must take collective blame for the team's rugged performances.

It's sickening that time meant for preparations in the run-up to the Afcon finals was instead disturbingly spent squabbling over accommodation and allowances between the players and Zifa. This shows that money was more important than representing the country, hence the move to secure a good deal before wearing the national colours. How shameful!