Finger pointing became the order of the day after Zimbabwe’s Warriors failed to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations finals for the fifth time in a row.
Inside Sport with Michael Kariati
The Warriors have failed to make it to the 2008, 2010, 2012, 2013 and lately the 2015 Afcon finals.
Coach Ian Gorowa and the Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) were fingered as the reasons why Zimbabwe had fallen to lowly ranked Taifa Stars of Tanzania.
But never was there a critical analysis to ascertain whether we have the class or quality of players capable of taking us to the Promised Land.
Coaches have come and gone and using the same available material, the results have remained the same.
We had Norman Mapeza and Madinda Ndlovu in the run up to the 2012 finals. Then came Rahman Gumbo and now Ian Gorowa is gone after failing in his 2015 campaign.
Were all these coaches not good enough? We may be forced to ask. I for one do not think so.
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Yes, Zifa has plundered several times but in 2013, they had a US$10 000 qualification bonus on the head of every player, but the Warriors let a two goal advantage slip through their fingers and lost out to Angola.
In 2004 and 2006, qualification was secured and credit goes to coaches Sunday Chidzambwa and Charles Mhlauri but more importantly to captain Peter Ndlovu, the real architect of that success.
A player who starred for Coventry City in the English Premiership and was at one time sought after by Liverpool, Ndlovu, was a game changer. Lively and skillful, he protected the ball so marvelously and was difficult to unsettle once he started his run.
He could change the course of the game especially when things seemed not to be going the Warriors way.
As we reflect on our immediate past failures, one needs to ask whether our national team has the calibre or quality of players of Ndlovu and Norman Mapeza — players who are good enough to lead the country to the Nations Cup.
There is no doubt that Zimbabwe’s top footballer at the moment is Knowledge Musona. But the youngster has failed to make it into the first 11 or even on the bench at a small Bundesliga side like Hoffeinheim.
Khama Billiat is still stuck at South African club Mamelodi Sundowns in South Africa. Ovidy Karuru was off-loaded in France and Kuda Mahachi too failed to make the grade at top French club Monaco, despite the hype.
That is the core of the Warriors. All failed to make it in Europe, yet we expected them to lead us to the 2014 World Cup in Brazil.
Zimbabwe’s most notable Europe-based player is Costa Nhamoinesu but in which league is he playing? The Czech Republic of course.
Europe has become a far off place for our players and they now see South Africa as their ultimate football destination. But is the Absa Premiership competitive enough to harden our players for the rigours and pressures associated with qualification for major international competitions?
The answer from the successful West and North African football nations will be a big NO.
Who is who in the national team set up is in South Africa. Partson Jaure, George Chigova, Willard Katsande, Tendai Ndoro, Cuthbert Majalila, the list is endless.
Some, like Simba Sithole of Highlanders as well as Tafadzwa Rusike of Dynamos, are back in the country after failing to make an impression in the same Absa Premiership. Yet we expected these same players to lead us to the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations.
If we want to qualify for future Nations Cup finals, the answer is simple. We need to start breeding players who can break into big clubs in Europe instead of those who look to South Africa as their final destination.
We will continue singing the blues at the end of every Africa Cup of Nations qualification process if that is not done.
Tennis too has its own problems It was good to see the nation getting excited following Zimbabwe’s qualification to the Davis Cup Euro-Africa Zone Group 11.
But events that followed later in the Twenty Third Century Futures tournament gave a true reflection as to where we really stand in international tennis.
That our Davis Cup players Mark Fynn and Tinotenda Chanakira could not go beyond the second round was a clear indication that our tennis is moving backwards instead of going forward, as most of us had started to think.
During the days of Byron and Wayne Black and later Genius Chidzikwe, Zimbabweans were known for imposing their dominance in these tournaments.
This time around national team players have to suffer the humiliation of straight sets losses and for that matter at Harare Sports Club.
The question is: If our Davis Cup players are failing to stand the heat against players who are second, if not third string in their countries, where is our tennis heading to?
We have been told that Tennis Zimbabwe’s junior development programme is bearing fruits. But where are the players. We would have expected players of the ages of between 18 and 23 in these Futures tournaments, not 38 or 29-year-olds.
Yes, we still have Takanyi Garanganga and Benjamin Lock but we need more players of their calibre on the scene for a guaranteed good future.
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