Warriors date Cape Verde in must win encounter

The Warriors were plunged into a crisis this week following the deportation of newly appointed Warriors coach Tom Saintfiet of Belgium after immigration authorities said he was not supposed to be training the team before his work permit was processed.

Saintfiet had since the beginning of last week conducted training sessions with help from his assistants Madinda Ndlovu, Norman Mapeza and goalkeeper’s trainer Richard Tswatswa until he was told to by ZIFA chief executive Jonathan Mashingaidze to abandon his charges and leave the country to allow for the processing of his work permit in accordance with the country’s laws.

The development left the team in confusion. But normalcy appeared to have returned to the Warriors camp when The Zimbabwean on Sunday attended the team’s training session on Thursday with Madinda Ndlovu who was named caretaker coach conducting training alongside Mapeza and Tswatswa at the National Sports Stadium B arena. ZIFA insisted that Saintfiet will be back before Sunday and will be in charge of the match.

Captain Benjani Mwaruwari said the players were all united for one cause – defeating Cape Verde. The Black Burn Rovers striker who was dropped from the opening qualifier against Liberia before he was recalled following the appointment of Saintfiet emphasised the need for discipline. As players we are all united for one cause and I think the most important thing is to maintain discipline, said Mwaruwari.

(Pictured: Benjani Mwaruwari – We respect Cape Verde but I think they should also respect us)

Cape Verde are a very strong side. Their game has improved over the last couple of years. They are ranked higher than us and the fact that they beat Mali shows that they cannot be under estimated. It is important for us to have discipline throughout the match and I am happy with the way the training has gone so far. We respect Cape Verde but I think they should also respect us, he added.

However, the match appears to be weighing heavily against the Warriors as Cape Verde are ranked 77 in the world while the Warriors are ranked 118. Cape Verde beat seasoned campaigners Mali 1-0 in the opening qualifiers to claim top spot in Group A.

But the Warriors will not be pushovers as they are aware a win will keep alive their hopes of making it to the biennial soccer showcase to be co-hosted by Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, while a defeat will all but end their interests in the tournament.

The Warriors, who have continued to attract impressive crowds averaging 45 000 per game despite their indifferent performances in recent years, should gain extra motivation from playing before their own fans.