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Fungai Muderere, [email protected]
KENYA’S head coach, Engin Firat, expressed his dissatisfaction with Zimbabwe’s choice of stadium ahead of their crucial Afcon qualifiers match against the Warriors in Polokwane, South Africa, tomorrow.

Despite the first-leg encounter between the Harambee Stars and the Warriors ending in a goalless draw, both teams are set for a tough battle at the Peter Mokaba Stadium, which is over 320km away from Johannesburg.

Zimbabwe previously hosted Namibia at the Orlando Stadium since they do not have a certified Caf stadium. Firat expressed his frustration that his team had to travel extra hours to reach the match venue.

“I don’t know why they (Zifa) chose the stadium because it’s very difficult to reach the city itself. To Johannesburg, we have a flight, but from there, we have to take a bus for around five hours to get to the stadium. It is also very difficult for us to have a domestic flight,” he said.

Zimbabwe, who now need at least a draw to qualify for the Afcon finals, are second in the group with eight points, two less than Cameroon. Kenya are third on four points and Namibia is last without a point.

Warriors’ gaffer is on record saying they opted to host Kenya in Polokwane as opposed to Johannesburg where they enjoyed huge support from Zimbabweans based in Gauteng and surrounding areas.

“We have two shots (playing Kenya and Cameroon) but we will take them one by one. We asked ourselves, what we could do better to be able to perform well against these teams. In our last game we played Namibia in Johannesburg (Orlando Stadium).

“We said, look, training there was very difficult but the hotel was very good. Johannesburg is a hub, you cannot come at the last minute. Training pitches are always booked, they are overused. I can say about three teams were using the same pitch for training. There were even about five games for Orlando Pirates at their stadium and we got worried about the improvement of the pitch,” said Warriors coach, Michael Nees.

Michael Nees

Meanwhile, Caf has confirmed details for the Cameroon vs Zimbabwe match in the Afcon Qualifiers. Cameroon will play host to the Warriors in the final Group J game of the 2025 Afcon Qualifiers on November 19.

The two teams will be in action four days before their meeting against Kenya and Namibia respectively.

Cameroon will travel to South Africa to play their penultimate fixture against Namibia.

Despite retaining the bulk of players who did duty against Namibia last month, Nees’ move to omit Highlanders striker Lynoth Chikuhwa, who is the local league’s top goal scorer, has faced a backlash.

Lynoth Chikuhwa

There is also a growing desire for bustling striker Nyasha Mushekwi and Knowledge Musona to return to the Warriors fold.

Nees has already successfully convinced Khama Billiat to reconsider his retirement from the national team, and he is keen to reach out to foreign-based players to strengthen the national team.

The Indomitable Lions have already qualified for the 2025 Afcon finals in Morocco, and the Warriors will need to avoid a defeat in any of their remaining two games to book their place.

Warriors Squad
Goalkeepers:
Washington Arubi (Marumo Gallants)
Marley Tavaziva (Brentford)
Martin Mapisa (Dynamos)
Defenders:
Divine Lunga (Mamelodi Sundowns)
Gerald Takwara (Al Minaa SC)Munashe Garananga (FC Copenhagen)Godknows Murwira (Caps United), Emmanuel Jalai (Dynamos), Teenage Hadebe (FC Cincinnati), Jordan Zemura (Udinese)
Midfielders:
Marvelous Nakamba (Luton Town), Marshall Munetsi (Stade de Reims), Andy Rinomhota (Cardiff City), Richard Hachiro (Ngezi Platinum)
Forwards:
Tinotenda Kadewere (FC Nantes), Khama Billiat (Yadah FC), Tymon Machope (Simba Bhora), Prince Dube (Young Africans), Terrence Dzvukamanja (Supersport United), Tawanda Maswanhise (Motherwell), Daniel Msendami (Marumo Gallants), Walter Musona (Simba Bhora), Douglas Mapfumo (Polokwane City)
—@FungaiMuderere