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Callisto Pasuwa

Sikhumbuzo Moyo Senior Sports Reporter
THE Zimbabwe Under-23 national side will play Asian side Iran in December as part of their preparations for the 2015 and 2016 football tournaments. The Young Warriors will start with the qualifiers for the 2015 DR Congo Under-23 African Championship which will be held in December, the 2015 Congo All Africa Games in September and the Rio 2016 Olympic Games.

Zifa communications manager Xolisani Gwesela, yesterday confirmed the match but said dates were yet to be finalised. He however said it will be after another international friendly against Fifa Club World Cup hosts Morocco which will be on November 16 in the North African nation.

According to an online Iranian website, Mehdi Mohammad Nabi, the general-secretary of Iran Football Federation (IFF), also confirmed that Zimbabwe had accepted to travel to Tehran to play a friendly with the Iranian national team (also known as Team Melli).

Iran was supposed to play Kenya in Tehran’s Azadi Stadium on November 14 but the match was cancelled after the Harambe Stars reportedly demanded $50,000 in cash and travel costs for the trip to Tehran.

Iran, which is handled by former Manchester United first team coach, Real Madrid and Portugal head coach Carlos Quieroz, is preparing itself for the 2015 AFC Asian Cup.

Team Melli has been pitted against the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Qatar and Bahrain in Group C of the tournament.

The competition will be held in Australia from January 9 to 31.

The Young Warriors, headed by Dynamos coach Callisto Pasuwa and assisted by ZPC Kariba’s Saul Chaminuka and Hwange’s Nation Dube with Tembo Chuma as the goalkeepers’ coach, has so far played two friendly matches against Botswana and Swaziland, losing one and winning the other.