Kevin Mapasure
9 June 2011
ZIFA has set its sights on sending national team coach Norman Mapeza to either Brazil or Germany for coaching courses ahead of the last two Afcon 2012 qualifiers against Liberia and Cape Verde.
Zimbabwe’s campaign was resuscitated with last weekend’s results which saw Zimbabwe beat Mali 2-1 at home while log leaders Cape Verde fell to Liberia 1-0 to give Zimbabwe a chance of qualifying.
Zimbabwe is placed third in the four team log with five points trailing Mali and Cape Verde who are on six and seven respectively.
Zifa president Cuthbert Dube has promised the best possible preparations for the two matches and among those will be the move to sharpen Mapeza.
“While we were at the Fifa congress we had discussions with our colleagues from Brazil and Germany over sending our coach there for courses,” said Dube. “They were willing to help so we have to move fast on that so that the coaches are best equipped ahead of the important games. We are happy with the work done so far and we are all pleased with the way the younger players performed. We are going to make sure we prepare better this time.”
Dube said that since they were not getting any government support, fundraising for the two matches would start immediately.
“I think we suddenly have a bright chance of making it after we started off on a bad note in the first half of the campaign. We should not squander this opportunity, so we will be moving to set up a fundraising committee and we are already looking at making arrangements for chartering planes to Cape Verde for supporters. The crucial game though is the Liberia match; we have to win that one and set ourselves well for the last match.”
Among other plans will be to give the Warriors game time together before the Liberia match against opposition within the region.
“We have had financial problems some of which we inherited, but we will make sure that the team gets some friendly matches before the important qualifiers and on that we will be meeting with the technical team after discussions with the board, but we have to sound the countries we are targeting now.”
Mapeza notched up his first win in this campaign courtesy of two strikes by Knowledge Musona in a match which ended on a sour note for the visitors who were reduced to 10 men with tempers flaring.
Before he embarks on his courses Mapeza is expected to go to Egypt next week for a continental review seminar.
Meanwhile Zifa has been invited for a meeting with Fifa in Zurich in relation to their request for a US$1,5 million recapitalisation funding.
Zifa held preliminary deliberations on the sidelines of the Fifa congress last week and they have since received written communication for them to set up
dates on which they can go and present their case to Fifa.
Dube said: “There was a lot going on at the congress so we didn’t have ample time and opportunity so we have been invited for a meeting over that issue and we are confident we will get a positive response.”
Zifa perennially faces financial problems and has failed to fund important events let alone the day to day running of football in the country.
The current board claims to have inherited a US$500 000 debt and is looking to use some of the money to offset it.
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