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Grace Chingoma Senior Sports Reporter
WOMEN’S football clubs are unhappy over the failure by the Mighty Warriors to travel to Cote d’Ivoire for their 2016 Olympic Games qualifier. This is the third time in recent years that a national team has failed to travel and fulfil a fixture as in 2012 the Under-20 national soccer team failed to travel to Angola for the second leg tie of the African Youths Championship.

The team was subsequently banned for three years.

In the same year, the Under-17 national soccer side also failed to travel to Congo Brazzaville for a return leg after they had lost the match 1-2 at Rufaro.

Two teams will represent Africa at the Summer Games which will be held in Rio de Janeiro in Brazil and eight teams were battling it out in the third round with the last round set for the last four teams.

Over weekend, neighbours South Africa sweated it out to a 1-0 victory in Johannesburg, while heavyweights Nigeria were held to a 1-1 draw in Abuja by Equatorial Guinea and Cameroon and Ghana also battled to a 1-1 draw in Yaounde.

Yesterday, Chipembere Queens spokesperson Brightwell Kadenge, said all the stakeholders should be involved in funding of national teams.

“It’s so unfortunate that the team failed to travel. I think we all have a part as stakeholders. It’s everyone’s baby from Zifa, club officials and anyone involved in women’s football to help with funding for the national teams.

“Everyone should chip in and assist and companies should do it as part of their social responsibility.

“And the Association, going forward, should give priority to certain tournaments that are important and leave others until they have the resources to compete in all the competitions.

“We didn’t only disadvantage ourselves by not going to Cote d’Ivoire but I think Zambia as well because maybe they should have proceeded ahead of us and run the full course of the fixture,” he said.

Inline Academy club official Takundwa Chimundiya said he would not be drawn to comment on the Mighty Warriors as there was need to go back to the drawing board in women’s football as it has become too political.

“We’re supposed to go back to the drawing board as right now there is so much confusion in women’s football from the regional level. There’s just too much politics.

“We no longer have leaders but politicians in our football. But we’re on the ground and we suffer a lot as we fork out money at club level,” he said.

Cosa Guruve technical director Actmore Watyoka said there is need for unity for the cause of the girl child.

“Players should benefit from national team activities not getting banned as football is now a source of employment and this setback affects everyone and everything.

“People should sit together and look at the issues affecting women’s football because sponsors want to see rewards when developing players.

“There is need for growth and development and part of that development is participating in national team events,” said Watyoka.

Cyclone Queens club director, Tamba Munemo, said lack of sponsorship was hampering the sport.

“Without sponsorship it would be difficult for sport to thrive. Women’s football isn’t at par with the men’s football which can attract better sponsorship but is also even struggling to get sponsorship so that’s a challenge.

“And the way forward is to call for private companies and individuals that are thriving to help and chip in with assistance in our sport and things will work out,” he said.