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Minister Hlongwane

Harare Bureau
THE Warriors’ doomed 2017 Nations Cup finals campaign spilled into Parliament yesterday with one legislator questioning whether it was possible for the team to be detained at some barracks as punishment for their failure.

The Zimbabwe senior national team appear to have disappointed many of those who were backing them by being eliminated at the group stages of the 2017 Afcon finals in Gabon.

That the Warriors were given huge appearance fees, pegged at $5 000 per player with more going into the pockets of the coaching staff, per game, for the Gabonese adventure, appears to have angered many people.

And yesterday, legislator Terrence Mukupe, the MP for Harare East, asked if the Government had a policy like some West African nations of detaining a team, which would have failed the nation, at some military barracks.

Mukupe said the Warriors were paid a huge sum of money for their Gabonese adventure and needed to repay some of it by doing some national service for the country.

Sports and Recreation Minister, Makhosini Hlongwane, said the Government did not have such a policy.

Hlongwane apologised to the nation for the Warriors’ failed Nations Cup campaign.

The Minister said they had a grand plan to address that in future through the establishment of academies and the development of selected talent picked from around the country.

Buhera South legislator Joseph Chinotimba also questioned if it was not possible for the Warriors to repay some of the money which they got for their show in Gabon.

Concerns were also raised as to why the Warriors were paid such huge amounts, especially looking at their doomed campaign, when the Mighty Warriors received very little for playing at the Olympics and also at the African Women Nations Cup.

Meanwhile, Swedish club Djurgårdens IF have announced that highly-rated young Zimbabwe footballer Junior Zindoga arrived in Stockholm for a test game.

“He is a forward who will be here for a while and audition with us, we have not decided exactly how long. I connected him with Tino Kadewere (Kade Werewolf) and Super Mush (Nyasha Mushekwi) so they have trained together in Zimbabwe during the leave.

“Junior has had a strong development so it will be exciting to follow him during his stay here,” said sports director Bosse Andersson.

Zindoga is an 18-year-old from St. Georges College’s A team.

He is part of a number of teenage Zimbabwean footballers making a big impression with Tristan Nydam being promoted to the first team of English championship side Ipswich Town at the weekend where he was part of the substitutes.

Walter Musona has also left FC Platinum and moved to South Africa.