JOHANNESBURG Former Zimbabwe national team striker, Ian GorowaZimbabwe travel to Bamako for a tricky AFCON date with Mali next weekend, hoping to garner three points that will be crucial in their qualification campaign and Gorowa told The Zimbabwean in South Africa that the nation should rally behind Mapeza as he tries to emulate Sunday Chidzambwa and the Rahman Gumbo/Charles Mhlauri combination, who qualified for the 2004 and 2006 AFCON.
He has been given the mandate to qualify Zimbabwe and the nation should give him all the support he needs because he cannot do it alone, said Gorowa, currently the caretaker coach of South Africas five-time champions, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Every coach has his own way of doing things and as the man in charge, Mapeza will also obviously have his own unique way and style, but we all need to support him in that.
Former national team captain Mapeza has already been heavily criticised in some football circles for dropping veteran Warriors defensive midfielder, Esrom Nyandoro from the national team, but Gorowa, who has regularly used Nyandoro the Sundowns captain, refused to tear down Mapeza.
He has obviously got his own reasons for leaving him out and I would not like to involve myself in that, said Gorowa. I respect his decision as the national team coach because he has his own selections according to how he wants the team to play. As a coach myself, I know there sometimes have to be decisions that some people might not want and Mapeza might be having good replacements and I respect him for that.
Post published in: Football