The senior women national soccer team- Mighty Warriors’ preparations ahead of the COSAFA Women Championship soccer tournament set for South Africa this month are in shambles as Zifa lacks care for women’s team, Zim Morning Post has learnt.
Sources within the team’s top echelons have lamented over government’s continuous neglect of the team and they are not even in camp ahead of a crucial tournament which begins on July 31 in Port Elizabeth, South Africa.
The corporate world has also not been forthcoming in pouring money.
“The girls are not even in camp as we speak yet there are supposed to play on the 31st of this month and are expected to deliver.
“How will they deliver when they are not prepared for the games?
“ZIFA knows about the tournament as the football mother body they have the calendar but they chose to support the men’s soccer team’s Egypt outing first.
‘It’s grossly unfair, “said our source.
Investigations by this publication established that ZIFA was pre-occupied with the Warriors shambolic trip to Egypt and only submitted a requisition for the Mighty Warriors funds to the Sports and Recreation Commission on Tuesday.
Zim Morning Post also learnt that the Mighty Warriors will travel by road to Port Elizabeth, a distance that is thousands of kilometres from Johannesburg and are expected to arrive on July 27.
The Might Warriors usually camp at ZIFA village in Mt Hampden while the Warriors camp at five star hotels.
This issue of favouritism has been raised by the team’s management but fell on deaf ears.
Efforts to contact ZIFA president Felton Kamambo and Sports minister Kirsty Coventry proved fruitless as both their mobile phones were not reachable at the time of writing.
The football mother body spokesperson Xolisani Gwesela refused to comment citing that he was not in a position to do so.
“Well, I cant comment on that now, I will maybe do so tomorrow,” he said .
