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Peter Ndlovu

From Petros Kausiyo in RUSTENBURG, South Africa
ZIMBABWE soccer legend Peter Ndlovu has urged Zifa to draw major lessons from the senior team’s Cosafa Cup humiliation by Namibia and ensure the Warriors are adequately prepared for the start of their 2017 African Cup of Nations qualifying campaign early next month.

The Warriors were on Thursday night reminded of how much they have fallen in standards when a fired up Namibia sent them tumbling out of the Cosafa Cup with a 4-1 hiding at Moruleng Stadium.

It was a result that also sent shockwaves within the Cosafa region given the Warriors’ rich history in this tournament, which they have won a record four-times together with holders Zambia.

But more worrying for the Zimbabwe football family, the huge defeat by the Brave Warriors highlighted the depths to which the Warriors have sunk that they cannot even get past the preliminary stage of the Cosafa Cup competition. Ndlovu, now team manager of South African Premiership giants Mamelodi Sundowns, has been named one of the Cosafa Cup ambassadors together with Mozambique’s Manuel “Tico Tico’’ Bucuane, Esau Kanyenda of Malawi and former Mauritius striker Jean Marc.

The former Coventry City and Sheffield United striker yesterday offered his opinion on the state of the Warriors.

“I think this defeat in the Cosafa Cup teaches us a lesson about how important preparations are. If there are no preparations, don’t just blame it on the players. There’s nothing easy in football anymore. Remember it has also become more scientific and teams are doing a lot more analysis using DVDs of your games and if you’re going to meet for a day or two, don’t just expect to do well,’’ Ndlovu said.

The legendary former Zimbabwe captain, who travelled the length and breadth of Africa in search of continental success with the Warriors, warned the country to brace for more disappointment in the Nations Cup qualifiers if the senior side is once again ill-prepared.

“We might seem to have an easy group (with Malawi, Swaziland and Guinea) in the Nations Cup but there’s never an easy group; remember we once lost to Seychelles in the Nations Cup qualifiers. The secret lies in preparing as hard as you can.”

Ndlovu also urged the current crop of Warriors to take a leaf from his class, which managed back-to-back appearances at the 2004 and 2006 Nations Cup finals and often took the qualification battles to the wire.