Zifa demands explanation over Adam Ndlovu's jersey number 13

ZIFA will demand a full explanation from the Warriors' management team over the use of jersey number 13 during the team's international friendly match against neighbours South Africa which the Ian "Dibango" Gorowa coached side won 2-1.

Warriors and Mamelodi Sundowns midfielder Khama Billiat wore jersey number 13 in the match played at Orlando Stadium on Tuesday evening.

It is believed that the team found itself in a fix after carrying 18 jerseys for 19 players and that efforts to erase the three on the number had failed prompting Billiat to don the top.

Zifa have since promised to demand a full report from the team management after which they too will issue a full public statement about the embarrassing situation which has turned emotional to some soccer fans.

Jersey number 13 was worn by the late legendary Adam Ndlovu in the national team. Ndlovu died in a tragic car accident a few kilometres before the resort town of Victoria Falls on 16 December last year as they were on their way to a friendly match together with his younger brother Peter Ndlovu and a female passenger who also died on the spot. Peter was injured but has come through.

Adam's death touched every Zimbabwean with some sections calling for the authorities to declare him a national hero.

He was eventually buried at Lady Stanley Square after the Bulawayo City Fathers conferred him with the status and decided he be buried there where some city luminaries lie.

Soon after Ndlovu's death last year, Zifa chief executive officer Jonathan Mashingaidze announced that no Warriors player will wear number 13.

"In our tribute to Adam yesterday we indicated that we need to have a Hall of Fame for our soccer greats and in that place will be jersey number 13 which was worn by Adam.

"Let the nation know that just like what the Cameroonians did to jersey number 17 which was worn by Marc Vivien Foe, there will no longer be a jersey number 13 in the Warriors," Zifa chief executive officer Jonathan Mashingaidze was quoted saying.

After the friendly match win, there has been a social media frenzy with concerned soccer fans across the sphere coming down heavily on the national association for trivializing the jersey number which on its own undermines the enormous contribution made by Adamski to the game of football in the country.

"I think we could be in better position to give a position after getting a full statement from the team management. We made a very public statement after the tragic passing on of Adam that as an honour to him, we will retire his trademark jersey number 13. It's known and I do not know what happened really," said a fuming Zifa chief executive officer Jonathan Mashingaidze.

The Zifa head of secretariat said they chose to retire Adamski's jersey, the first in the history of the country, due to the tragic nature of his death and the reality that no one has so far come close to the exploits of Adam.

"Of all our national team players who have worn jersey number 13, we felt there was really no one who has come close to the departed Ndlovu's exploits," said Mashingaidze.

The late former Highlanders player who was Chicken Inn head coach at the time of his death, scored 34 goals for the senior national team, the highest by a centre forward for the country.

Sources in Harare said the team had carried fewer jerseys and tried to rub three (3) to make it read 19 but failed. One player in the Warriors Masimba Mambare did not have a uniform.