Weekly Focus: It is World Cup qualifying time!: By Livingstone Banga Every soccer loving person woke up to nationality issues on media platforms over the past week and every AFCON following individual got the shock of their lives when they read Wednesday’s newspaper sport headlines. When I was growing up, there was a certain bar soap advertisement that was run on ZBC television. Comedian Bonzo was at the centre of it and he could leave us in stitches whenever the bar soap advertisement was run. We loved only two words in that advert, “isikisi mfowethu” meaning six my friend and yes, it was six goals to one last night as Ghana demolished the Pharaohs of Egypt in a World Cup Qualifier play off. Bonzo would have to shout the two words twice but in different moods. Firstly in the sense that six goals were scored at the National Sports stadium and Zimbabwe lost 4-2 to Egypt. Secondly, in support of our Ghanaians relatives who dismantled Egypt 6-1 to put back the smile on our faces although we did not benefit from that victory. In as much as Warriors head coach Ian Gorowa was not yet in charge of the Warriors when they played Egypt, he should have taken some notes from this match. Lesson one: The national team is not a rebuilding or building platform, it is a result based project. Over the past decade, Ghana used the word building to downplay unrealistic expectations while the team was producing admirable results. In the last two World cups they have participated, they reached the quarter finals and the last two AFCON tournaments they have been involved, they have reached the semi finals. Lesson two: No team excels with youngsters alone. Credit goes to Ian Gorowa for quickly rushing to include veterans in his national team plans, no wonder why we haven’t lost any match so far in Ian Gorowa’s tenure. Ghana recalled midfield kingpin Michael Essien and one could pick that Ghana’s play was masterminded from the Chelsea midfielder. Sulley Muntari, Kwadwo Asamoah and Asamoah Gyan also made life easier for maturing Ghanaian side. Lesson three: Every successful national team has the full backing of its national association. This is a point beyond Ian Gorowa’s control. The past weekend was set aside for international matches and yet our own Zimbabwe Football Association failed to organize one match for our team. Full backing should not just include assurances about the safety of the Warrior’s job or unfulfilled promises but should run to utilising every single day set aside by FIFA for international matches. ZIFA should not always look for profits on this day but rather organize matches at break even whilst making sure our team continues to gel. Hopefully, ZIFA now has a website so that it can issue statements too about players just like the way Ghana FA did on Kevin Boateng’s injury report. Other results of World Cup qualifiers in Africa are Burkina Faso 3-2 Algeria, Ivory Coast 3-1 Senegal, Nigeria 2-1 Ethopia and Tunisia 0-0 Cameroon. The second legs will be played in November. In Asia, Australia, Iran, Japan and South Korea have made it to Brazil 2014 World Cup. In North and Central America, Costa Rica, United States and Honduras have qualified and in South America, Brazil (hosts), Argentina, Colombia, Ecuador and Chile have made it to the FIFA World Cup tournament. Over to Europe where jittery and knee jerking was the order of last night. Belgium, Germany, Italy, England, Netherlands, Switzerland, Spain, Russia and Bosnia-Hercegovina qualified for Brazil. England had to thank two veterans Wayne Rooney and Steven Gerrard for late goals in each half to win 2-0 over a Polish team that was aiming to repeat the 1973 knocking off of England out of the World Cup qualification. Plenty of talk had been centered on the nationality of Manchester United young kid Adnan Januzaj nationality which spiraled into a twitter war involving top class England cricket batsman Kevin Pietersen and Arsenal’s midfielder Jack Wilshere. Born in Belgium to Kosovo-Albanian parents and has never represented any country, the holder of a Belgian passport, Januzaj has been courted by Roy Hodgson to consider playing for England come Russia 2018 World Cup. Adnan Januzaj could theoretically play for England if he doesn’t play for any other national team and stays in England for five years under FIFA statues. This nationality issue cascades down to our own sport. Over the years, we have had Zimbabweans born outside the country or with origins outside the country representing our national teams and plenty of Zimbabwean-born sports people representing other countries. Tendai “Beast” Mtawarira is representing South African national rugby team, the Springboks, Andy Cole representing England national soccer team and Derek Chisora raising the British flag in heavy weight boxing. One wonders what motivates Zimbabwean-born sports people to choose other countries. I am also eager to know why. The Ministry of Sports, Arts and Culture should quickly rush to develop our sporting disciplines as we are losing lots of talented Zimbabweans to other countries and ZIFA should avail resources to the national team coach and to junior development as plenty of youngsters are choosing other countries over us. Lewin Nyatanga chose Wales national soccer team and recently Tendayi Darikwa is up for grabs as England under 21 coach Gareth Southgate aims to include him in his squad. It is time we start implementing our ideas as a delay in a single day is a loss to the nation. Such is the reaction to losses which can make football a crazy sport. This week’s football madness crosses the Nyanga Mountains to our neighbors Mozambique. After experiencing one of the worst referees’s decisions, Costa do Sol Portuguese coach Diamantino Miranda failed to control his temper and ended up insulting the whole of Mozambique. “All here are thieves. You are all a bunch of thieves, you and other journalists can be bought off with a bowl soup. This country is not serious.” You cannot insult a host nation and it relaxes on your insult. Diamantino Miranda was ordered to leave the country in 48 hours by Mozambique’s Labour Minister Helena Taipo. Good fortune for anyone who had borrowed money from him. The world’s most beautiful game can turn ugly too. Going forward, preparations for 2018 World Cup should start now. Go Warriors Go. Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the writer and do not necessarily represent those of the Zimbabwe Broadcasting Corporation.
Posted on: Sat, 19 Oct 2013 21:12:10 +0000
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