The July 6-20 regional showcase is nowhere near as rewarding and respected as the Afcon, nor as developmental as any of the African Youth competitions Zimbabwean missed out on by failing to send teams to qualifying away fixtures, but winning it would surely appease some of the success-starved fans.
It will be very difficult for the multitudes of fans to forget how their national team missed out on both the 2010 FIFA World Cup and the 2013 Afcon – two major tournaments hosted by neighbouring South Africa, where millions of Zimbabweans are based. But claiming regional supremacy will go a long way to console the fans, especially with Brazil 2014 also a dream that looks to end prematurely.
Add to that, Dynamos’ first round exit from the African Champions League at the hands of little-known Tunisian side Bizertin and you will find a nation in need of appeasement for which the COSAFA Cup could be the right tonic.
It has been done before. The Warriors go into this tournament as defending champions, having won the last edition on home soil, but that it will be as easy could not be farther from the truth. When the Warriors beat Zambia in Harare four years ago, some of those teams, like losing semi-finalists, South Africa, had brought in a third-string side to the competition.
South Africa’s national team coach Gordon Igesund has already jerked the country from its comfort zone to demand some seriousness in regional and competitions. This has seen Cup winners Supersport push hard in the Confederations Cup, while champions Orlando Pirates have reached the CAF Champions League mini-league phase for the first time in six years for any South African team.
Unlike in the past, when South Africa sent in a little-known coach and lower division players to the regional competition, Igesund has indicated that he will be in charge and taking his strongest side to Zambia.
Zimbabwe begin with Malawi in the quarter-finals of this year’s competition, but they could also meet a vengeful Bafana Bafana, not the usual Amabineplaas side they beat in 2009. But that does not mean that the Malawians and semi-final prospects, Zambia, which Zimbabwe could still meet on the way, will be any simpler. This therefore, calls for Zimbabwe to start preparing now, or face the wrath of their fans that could see many turn their backs on the national team for a very long time.
The Warriors were among the seeded teams that included South Africa, Zambia and Angola going into the competition, but that should not be a reason to go into the comfort zone. As the competition hits its climax, Zambia will take on Mozambique, Zimbabwe start the defence of their title with a potentially explosive tie against the Malawians, while SA take on the winners of Group A and Angola meet victors of Group B.
The opening game of the tournament will be played in Lusaka on July 6, when Tanzania take on Mauritius, while other matches will be played in Kabwe and Kitwe.
Zimbabwe won the last edition at home, when they beat Zambia 3-1 in the final to jump to an unprecedented record of four triumphs in the competition, followed by Zambia, South Africa and Angola with three each as the only countries to have won the event. All the other three were at the 2013 Afcon, with Angola making it at the expense of Zimbabwe.
Post published in: Football