ll Association (ZIFA)’s actions as “barbaric” before urging the local soccer mother controlling body not to ever engage the Warriors in future.
Thousands of other Basuthu fans, who had queued outside the national sports stadium when CAJ News crew arrived said they only wanted to catch glimpse of the English based Benjani Mwariwaru whom they always see on television whilst playing for his English club, Portsmouth.
“Some of us asked to be excused at work so that we come and watch Benjani Mwariwaru here at the stadium only to be told that the match was abandoned under unclear circumstances.
“I don’t think such an association calling itself ZIFA deserved a place in the African football. How dare on earth such a formidable football association with high esteem like ZIFA, well connected with the Confederation of African Football (CAF) could stoop so low and fail to fly just 18 players to Lesotho.
“Besides flying, the Zimbabwe Warriors could have travelled by road to Lesotho, which is some 100 kilometres outside Johannesburg. Zimbabwe has most of its players plying their trade in South Africa except for Mwariwaru, who plies his trade in England,” said a disappointed George Rhibahone.
He called for stern measures taken against the ZIFA officials arguing that CAF should also respond to the aborted match.
Molefe Moloto, who told CAJ News that he was a Benjani Mwariwaru fan, castigated ZIFA from left, right and centre for lacking vision and direction.
“It is unfortunate that ZIFA is not a Lesotho soccer controlling mother body, otherwise those officials could have resigned by yesterday.
“This is the worst rot ever witnessed in African football. Well, it is all up to Zimbabweans to stomach such nonsense. But my message for Zimbabwe is that they are risking losing qualification for the 2010 World Cup which is being hosted by our neighbour-South Africa,” said Moloto.
Several Zimbabwean players in South Africa and other Zimbabwean fans had hired two buses to go and support the Warriors in Lesotho only to be advised when they were about to reach the Lesotho border that Zimbabwe was no longer coming to Lesotho.
“This is ridiculous! How can you tell the world that ZIFA has failed to hire a bus from Harare to Maseru just a distance of about 1 600 kilomtres. ZIFA failed us before and this time around, we need to qualify for both the Africa Cup of Nations and the World Cup here in South Africa,” said Mhaka Mudamburi, who is based in Pretoria.
Several hundreds of Zimbabwean soccer fans, who met with the CAJ News crew that had already visited Lesotho thronged the journalists with a view to send a message to the ZIFA management in Zimbabwe- CAJ News.
Post published in: Zimbabwe Sports News