The Sunday News
Ngqwele Dube, Sports Correspondent
ZIMBABWE’S Under-17 national team coach Tafadzwa Mashiri believes they can overturn a woeful record when they feature at this year’s Cosafa Championships but woeful preparations could be their undoing.
The Young Warriors have not progressed beyond group stages of the competition and last year under Moses Chunga, the side was knocked out without a win scoring only one goal.
This year’s tournament will be held in Mauritius from 19 to 29 July and Mashiri believes they are already late in beginning their preparations.
He said although he has submitted his programme to Zifa he was yet to get feedback on how to proceed.
“We are dealing with youngsters some of whom are not playing regularly because they are at school so we need more time with them as we prepare for the tournament.
“Last year we made an early exit but we are hoping for a change of fortunes this year. Preparations are obviously going to have an impact on how we perform and I hope we will be able to bring the boys together soon,” said Mashiri.
Zifa communications manager Xolisani Gwesela said they would be meeting tomorrow to finalise on the preparations.
Mashiri said he had managed to select a team countrywide through assistance from different coaches with Bulawayo City goalkeepers’ coach, Julius Ndlovu doing the job in Bulawayo.
He said he is looking to having between 30 and 35 players at the training camp which he will then trim to 20.
“There is added reason to go all the way and win this year’s championships as the winners qualify for the 2019 Total Under 17 Africa Cup of Nations. The champions at the Cosafa tourney will represent the Southern African region at the continental finals scheduled for Tanzania next year so we have to up our game,” added Mashiri.
This year Zimbabwe has been placed in the same group with Swaziland, Malawi and Angola.
For a country that has produced so many top players down the years, Zimbabwe has not done as well at junior level.
Zimbabwe has, however, qualified for the African Under-17 Championships on four previous occasions, more than any other side from the region. All of those came between 1997 and 2009, when they exited in the group stages on all four occasions.
Zimbabwe have not entered the qualifiers for the continental competition in the last four editions but returned to compete in the Cosafa competition in 2017.
