A night to remember for Lesotho, a legacy to forget for Zimbabwe

The final whistle cut through the thin mountain air like a blade, and with it came an eruption from the modest stands of Peter Mokaba Stadium last night. Lesotho had done it. A 1-0 win over Zimbabwe, their first home victory in this World Cup qualifying campaign, sealed not just three historic points, but the culmination of their finest run in a decade.


As jubilant Basotho players embraced on the pitch, the Warriors of Zimbabwe trudged off, heads down, weighed not only by defeat but by the heavy truth, Zimbabwean football, once a proud institution in the region, is in freefall.

It wasn't just a loss. It was a humiliation. A national disgrace, punctuated by a 90th-minute goal from a side with fewer resources, less star power, and far lower expectations. For Lesotho, it was triumph. For Zimbabwe, it was rock bottom.

Zimbabwe entered this campaign with optimism. A German coach, Michael Nees, was brought in to add European discipline. A squad laden with internationally based talent, some plying their trade in England, France, and South Africa was expected to cruise past so called minnows like Lesotho.

Instead, they finished bottom of the group, how sad. The warning signs were there. Poor team selection, bad tactical awareness, questionable substitutions. A lack of identity. But this final loss ripped the veil completely off, a team divided, directionless, and disrespected by its own leadership.

The storm clouds had been gathering long before kick-off. Promising forward Tawanda Masvanhise was mysteriously ruled out of the match, allegedly due to a missing passport. That's right a top Zimbabwean international couldn't represent his country because his documents disappeared. It reeks of sabotage. And sources suggest it's not an isolated incident, agents are playing their game.

ZIFA, the Zimbabwe Football Association, has become a breeding ground for corruption, where player agents not merit decide who gets a national cap. Young talents are being muscled out, overlooked in favour of players with the right "connections." The national team has become a marketplace, not a meritocracy.

Zimbabweans are not stupid. They can see it. They feel it in the stands, in the villages, in the townships. They remember when players wore the jersey with pride, when football was a source of unity, not scandal.

Today, a coach with a European passport gets a free pass for failure, while local coaches are crucified for far less. Is this what progress looks like? Importing mediocrity while exporting blame?

Lesotho, with a fraction of the resources, played with heart, hunger, and humility. Zimbabwe played like a team of strangers, assembled by agents, managed by amateurs, and betrayed by their own system though some think they played well. How can that be when they lost?

The real tragedy? Fans keep showing up, they keep believing, but belief without change is just heartbreak on repeat. Lesotho walks away with pride and promise. Zimbabwe walks away with excuses and empty hands. The question now isn't how we lost to Lesotho. The question is, who is accountable? More importantly, how long are we, as a nation, going to let football die at the hands of greed and incompetence? If nothing changes, the next loss will not be to Lesotho, it will be to oblivion-#ezratshisa4life