I’m not turning my back on Warriors— Sadomba

Sport
By Brian NkiwaneZIMBABWE International striker Edward “Duduza” Sadomba has defended his absence from the Warriors team that travelled to face Botswana in a friendly match.

The pint-sized winger revealed to Standardsport that he has since lost match fitness. Sadomba, a fringe member of the Warriors, revealed that he had only come home for the holiday not knowing that he would be called for national duty.

“I have been here for the past five weeks and I have not kicked the ball at any point. I have lost match fitness; I am not fit at all to play competitive football,” said the speedy winger.

“Even at Al Hilal I spent the last four games on the sidelines after that shoulder injury sustained during the CAF Champions League semi-finals. It’s not like I have turned my back on my country. No.”

Duduza was left out of the Warriors team that travelled to Cape Verde for the decisive match in which the Warriors lost 2-1.The Al-Hilal talismanic forward may have failed to inspire the Warriors to the 2012 African Cup of Nations finals but his exploits for the Sudanese giants did not go unnoticed.

Sadomba has been impressive in the continental show piece as he emerged the Champions League Top Goal scorer with seven goals in 12 matches.

His international profile rose to another level last month when he scored a first for his country by being named by the Confederation of African Football among the best 10 players plying their trade on the continent.

Unfortunately, Duduza missed out when CAF came out with three final names for the category. He is currently ranked the 36th deadliest striker in the world.

The 28-year-old was a revelation at DeMbare before becoming the first Zimbabwean footballer to feature competitively in Sudan after signing for seasoned African Safari campaigners, Al-Hilal, in 2009.

Sadomba completed the move which netted a cool R4 million for his South African side Bidvest Wits. He was signed by Wits in 2008 before the club loaned him to Mozambique’s Liga Muculmana where he spent six months before being snapped by Al-Hilal.