The Warriors were bungled out of competition for a place at the finals of the continental showdown after they were beaten 3-2 by lowly Tanzania.
Dube said Zifa did everything possible to guarantee success for the Warriors in the two matches against the Taifa Stars, but got a disappointment in return for their efforts.
“Dube must go is the cry. But was I responsible for the team selection? I gave the Warriors everything they needed for the two Tanzania matches, but they failed,” said Dube in apparent reference to the national team coach.
The Zifa president said he even went to the extent of offering funds for out-of-pocket expenses from his own pocket to make sure that the Warriors were happy while in camp.
Although questions are being raised on how long the Warriors would remain on a “learning curve”, Themba Mliswa, chairman of the Parliamentary Portfolio Committee on Sports, Arts and Culture, also defended the football federation, saying the government was not doing enough to fund national teams.
The football family, together with the minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Andrew Langa, gathered in Harare to map the way forward for the game of football which continues to disappoint.
Apart from the Warriors’ elimination from the run for a place at the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations finals, the women’s soccer team, the Mighty Warriors, were also knocked out of the 2014 Africa Women’s Championships by a Zambian side they have always beaten before.
Elimination by the Taifa Stars saw The Warriors fail to make the continental football festival for the fifth time in a row, after they also missed out of the 2008, 2010, 2012, and 2013 editions.
Despite the criticism levelled against him, Gorowa hinted he would stay in his job, adding that his focus was now more on the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations than of reflecting on what has already happened.
Post published in: Sport