Warriors brace for Niger

The Warriors flew into Nairobi, Kenya, early yesterday after encountering a delay in their original departure due to the unava-ilability of funds.
The senior team were only assured of tra-velling after the Government bailed out Zifa and paid for their travel expenses to Sudan for the second Chan tournament which bursts into life in Khartoum today when the hosts meet Gabon in a Group A clash.

Zimbabwe — who will be based in Wad Medani, 250km out of Khartoum — will get their campaign underway with a cagey fixture against Niger tomorrow.
The Warriors, who have Dynamos goalkeeper Washington Arubi as their captain for this year’s Chan tournament, will face Ghana four days later before completing their group assignments with a Battle of the Limpopo showdown with South Africa on February 13.

But after losing three days of training ahead of the start of the tournament, Madinda was not amused and was worried that his charges, a host of them rookies, could be affected by fatigue when they play Niger.
The Warriors, who had a 12-hour stop-over in the Kenyan capital, had been hoping to utilise their time in Nairobi to squeeze in a training session after Zimbabwean banker Mike Dengwani, who is based here, had organised a venue at the Nairobi Sports Club.

But that session had to be called off as problems with traffic jams in Nairobi made it tricky for the Warriors to move to the training ground and back to the airport in time.
Madinda then suggested that the players use the few hours to “freshen-up and rest given that “we will also travel another 250km by road when we get to Khartoum’’.

The Warriors were expected to connect to Sudan at 5:20pm and arrive in Khartoum three hours later.
Madinda said he would have preferred a scenario that gave his players at least two days in Sudan before they get down to the business of the tournament.
“It is not the best of travelling arrangements and it has taken a toll on the players because we were budgeting some energy for the opening game.
“We are now doing our best to keep the players focused. We now have only Friday (today) to prepare the players, but we do not know yet what programme the tournament organisers have for us and whether we will be compelled to attend the opening ceremony.
“We also take into account that they (the players) are also humans, but the good thing is that the attitude in camp is that we are Warriors, we are soldiers and therefore we should overcome any obstacles that we will meet.

“But I would have loved it if we could find a direct route to Khartoum or something that takes less time but that is an administrative matter,’’ Madinda said.
The former Highlanders and Zimbabwe winger also paid tribute to the Deputy Minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture, Lazarus Dokora, who was on hand at the Harare International Airport at midnight on Wednesday to bid the Warriors farewell and also assure the players of more Government support.

Dokora said the Government was aware of the challenges being faced by football, particularly the national teams, and had resolved to chip in to assist “on such important assignments like the Chan tourna-ment’’.
The Deputy Minister also pledged that the Government was sourcing more resour-ces to be used to pay the players’ allowances and for their upkeep, “because we would want you to bring the gold.
“If Munya (Chidzonga) was our Diamond boy in the Big Brother House, then you will be our Golden Boys in Sudan.
“We are aware of the numerous challenges you are facing as a national team, but I want to assure you that the leadership and the country is behind you and we will strive to provide that assistance.
“It is regrettable that you could not travel as per your original schedule but I am happy that you are still managing to travel,’’ Dokora said.

Madinda reckoned that Dokora’s presence at the airport had been a huge motivation for the players and would serve to inspire them at the Chan tournament.
“I would say it was a well-timed visit and speech, it is not easy for a minister to be at the airport at midnight just to say farewell and see the players off.
“Apart from the impact it had on me, it went a long way to motivate the players and the assurance that he gave them that the Government was doing its best for their upkeep and their allowances made the boys feel really appreciated.
“They will now play knowing that even their leaders back home are with us and this rubs away other bad things they may have encountered,’’ Madinda said.

African Nations Championship fixtures
Group A (Khartoum unless noted)
Today:  Sudan v Gabon (7pm).
Tomorrow: Algeria v Uganda (2:30pm).
February 8: Algeria v Gabon (4:30pm);
Sudan v Uganda (7pm).
February 12: Sudan v Algeria (7pm); At Omdurman – Gabon v Uganda (7pm).
Group B (Wad Medani unless noted)
Tomorrow: Ghana v South Africa (4:30pm); Niger v Zimbabwe (7pm).
February 9: Niger v South Africa (4:30pm); Ghana v Zimbabwe (7pm).
February 13: Ghana v Niger (7pm). At Omdurman — South Africa v Zimbabwe (7pm).
Group C (Omdurman unless noted)
February 6: Democratic Republic of Congo (holders) v Cameroon (4:30pm); Ivory Coast v Mali (7pm).
February 10: Cameroon v Mali (4:30pm); DR Congo v Ivory Coast (7pm).
February 14: DR Congo v Mali (7pm); At Khartoum — Cameroon v Ivory Coast (7pm).

Group D (Port Sudan unless noted)
February 7: Rwanda v Senegal (4:30pm); Angola v Tunisia (7pm).
February 11: Rwanda v Tunisia (4:30pm); Angola v Senegal (7pm).
February 15: Senegal v Tunisia (7pm); At Omdurman — Angola v Rwanda (7pm).
Quarter-finals
February 18 (At Omdurman): (26) Group A winners v Group B runners-up (4pm); At Wad Medani— (25) Group B winners v Group A runners-up (7:30pm).
February 19 (At Omdurman): (27) Group C winners v Group D runners-up (4pm); At Port Sudan – (28) Group D winners v Group C runners-up (7:30pm).
Semi-finals
February 22 (At Khartoum): Winners 25 v winners 28 (4pm); At Omdurman — Winners 26 v winners 27 (7:30pm).
Third place play-off
February 24 (At Omdurman): Losing semi-finalists (4:30pm).
Final
February 25 (At Omdurman): Winning semi-finalists (4:30pm).
Note: Tournament restricted to footballers playing in country of birth.

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