HARARE - National Football Association (NFAZ) president Philip Chiyangwa yesterday challenged the men’s senior national team to win this year’s edition of the Cosafa Castle Cup which kicks off in Namibia on Saturday.
Kalisto Pasuwa and his locally-based Warriors will fly out to Windhoek today where they will open their quest against Swaziland on Saturday.
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The Cosafa Cup tournament is coming on the back of a successful story after they qualified for 2017 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualifying campaign to be held in Gabon next year.
Zimbabwe sailed through to the Afcon finals after beating Malawi 3-0 at the National Sports Stadium on Sunday and Chiyangwa wants to see the team maintain the same form when they battle at the Cosafa Cup.
Addressing players and the technical team at a training session yesterday, Chiyangwa said they should travel to Namibia with only one goal in mind of bringing the cup home.
“Remember you are coming from an environment where people are celebrating the team’s qualification for the Afcon,” Chiyangwa said.
“We are very proud of you. You are the only the team that has qualified for Afcon from southern Africa so you should go there and maintain the same form. We are expecting victories.
“We are looking at a situation where you go there and don’t disappoint us. Make sure you bring the cup home and I am optimistic that you will bring it home. My minister (Makhosini Hlongwane) told me he is also expecting you to bring the cup home.
“Most teams there are afraid of you because you have been doing well. What makes other teams fear you is because you are winning. I believe you have an advantage over your opponents because you have been winning.
“The wins against Swaziland (4-0) and Malawi (3-0) were a serious message to your opponents. So I am challenging you to go and do the nation proud by winning the cup.”
Chiyangwa said the team’s success will bring more sponsors to partner the team as no stakeholders are willing to be associated with losers, adding that the association will today sign a partnership with one of the leading telecommunications company.
“If you win a lot of people from the corporate world will come and partner us. There are a lot of people who are prepared to partner us but they can only do that when you are doing well,” Chiyangwa said.
“Tomorrow (today) we are going to witness the signing partnership with one of the country’s biggest telecommunications companies. It’s all because you have been doing well.”
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