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Ngqabutho Moyo Sports Reporter
THE four-team international women’s football tournament which was supposed to be held in Botswana this week has been cancelled.

Zimbabwe’s Mighty Warriors were supposed to take part. The tournament would have been a warm-up ahead of the All-Africa Games qualifiers.

Miriam Sibanda, the Zimbabwe Women’s Football League president bemoaned the missed opportunity to fine-tune the girls.

Sibanda said the organisers had failed to secure two more teams for the event with Botswana and Zimbabwe having been the only confirmed.

The tournament would have run from Friday to Sunday.

Zifa were advised last week that the event had been called off at a time when the girls were already in camp.

“Botswana Football Association regrets to inform your office that the proposed tournament shall not take place as the other invited countries to the Four Nations Tournament have not shown interest in participating,” wrote Keith Masters, the chief executive officer of BFA.

Zifa had accepted the invitation to send the Mighty Warriors to the three-day tournament in preparation for the All-Africa and Olympic Games qualifiers, which start in March.

With the tournament cancelled it is most likely that the Mighty Warriors will get into the All-Africa and Olympic Games qualifiers without adequate preparations.

Sibanda said she was worried that the Mighty Warriors might not adequately prepare for the qualifiers.

“We’re banking on this tournament which was going to assist us fine-tune the team,” she said.

Meanwhile, Sibanda bemoaned lack of support from Zifa.

Sibanda accused the Zifa chief executive officer Jonathan Mashingaidze of not supporting the Mighty Warriors’ preparations for the All-Africa Games and Olympic qualifiers.

“I feel that Mashingaidze isn’t really supportive when it comes to the Mighty Warriors preparing for the two events.

“I have constantly communicated with the country’s football motherbody to set up a meeting to discuss the urgency and importance of the team’s preparations for the two events, but he (Mashingaidze) has never responded to my emails.

“So as much as we want to get the girls better prepared, it is impossible without the Zifa support,” she said.

Sibanda said Zifa was responsible for the cancellation of the Unity Day friendly match between the Mighty Warriors and Tanzania last December.