Zifa releases statement on Warriors and Mighty Warriors Afcon preps

Zimbabwe Football Association president Dr Philip Chiyangwa has release a press statement on the preparations for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations as well as the women’s edition.

He started off by congratulating the men’s side for ‘displaying their fighting qualities and narrowly going down to Guinea under the difficult conditions in Conakry on Sunday night’.

Chiyangwa acknowledged that the team did not have ‘the best of traveling arrangements’ and pointed out at the ‘tricky’ Conakry destination.

I acknowledge that as an association and as a nation we could have done better in that regard as this impacts on the team’s performance.

He paid ‘special tribute to the government of Zimbabwe through the Minister of Sport and Recreation, Hon Makhosini Hlongwane, Netone Cellular, Air Zimbabwe and all [Zifa’s] valued corporate partners and friends who came on board to ensure [the team] managed to fulfil the fixture and complete [the] qualification campaign’.

Zifa says it now turns its full focus to the actual African Cup of Nations (AFCON) tournament in Gabon in January 2017 saying lessons had been learnt.

Our technical team will soon roll out their training programme also outlining their preferred camping bases in preparation for the Gabon finals.

In this regard, I would like to assure the nation that we are working round the clock to ensure that the Warriors’ preparations for Gabon are as smooth as possible and this is despite the challenges that we are facing as an association in a tough economic environment.
I must reiterate that the 2017 AFCON finals campaign is not for ZIFA alone, it is not for Philip Chiyangwa alone but it is a collective responsibility for a soccer loving country – Zimbabwe. I once again call upon the corporates, individuals and the government to all join hands with ZIFA to make the Gabon campaign a successful one.

Chiyangwa then turned to the Woen Afcon finals set for Cameroon from November 19 to December 3:

Like their Warriors brothers, the Mighty Warriors also need our collective support and partnership in order to afford them adequate preparations that will enable them to be in the right physical and mental condition to conquer Africa. Judging from the girls’ fighting spirit against top opposition in Brazil earlier this year, lifting the trophy is a strong possibility.

The association is under fire after a series of gaffes resulting in poor treatment of men and women’s senior football sides.