Zimbabwe missed an opportunity for much needed match practise when minnows Swaziland pulled out of a scheduled preliminary round clash last month.
And they face a potentially formidable opponent in the form of Cameroon with their collective potential still very much a matter of conjecture.
What is clear though is that Coach Calisto Pasuwa has – on paper at least, a squad oozing both talent and depth and looking quite capable of holding their own against the continent’s best.
Whether the former Dynamos mentor can transform this undoubted promise into success on the pitch remains to be seen. The one regret though is that that some of the opportunities the team had for friendly matches last year were not adequately utilised. Pasuwa was not available for the first two games the team played against Botswana and Swaziland, but when he joined in for the tie against Morocco, there were some unhelpful inclusion of players clearly over the age limit.
The likes of Douglas Sibanda, aged 24, and Caps United discard Charles Mukanhairi got their air tickets ahead of deserving youngsters such as Nqobizitha Masuku, Praise Tonha and Lawrence Mhlanga.
Besides, the chaos at Zifa also ensured that the team could not enjoy any useful camping ahead of the three friendly matches.
Chaos continued to dog the team as they regrouped last week, with new Caps United coach Mark Harrison taking advantage of the leadership vacuum in local football to withdraw his players from camp even though the league is yet to start.
Post published in: Football