Warriors ready for Malawi in Nations cup clash

By Tichaona Sibanda
4 October 2006

Zimbabwe national soccer team captain Benjani Mwaruwaru joined the rest of the squad in Harare Tuesday night after missing a connecting flight in Johannesburg from London.

Warriors team manager Ernest Sibanda told us from Harare Wednesday that the arrival of Mwaruwaru was a major boost for the squad, especially to the young players who look up ‘to their captain for inspiration.’

The squad stepped up their preparations for Sunday’s African Nations Cup qualifier against the Flames of Malawi in Blantyre with two training sessions Wednesday under the eagle eye of coach Charles Mhlauri. The squad leaves Harare for Blantyre, Malawi on Thursday.

Sibanda said moral was excellent in camp and that everyone was raring to go, adding ‘we have no problem in camp, its injury free after the withdrawal of Ronald Sibanda who got a knock playing for his team this past weekend.’

Malawi on the other hand are racing against time to get hold of their robust forward Essau Kanyenda for the vital clash at Blantyre’s Chichiri stadium. Football Association of Malawi’s secretary-general Yasin Osman told the Daily Nation of Malawi that Kanyenda could not be reached on any of his contact numbers in Rostov, Russia.

Kanyenda is the only doubt for Saturday’s match as the rest of the Flames’ foreign contingent of Captain Peter Mponda, Robert Ng’ambi, Swadick Sanudi, Russell Mwafulirwa and Joseph Kamwendo have confirmed their availability for the game.

The Warriors team manager, sounding upbeat for Saturday’s match said Malawi are a fairly good side who will try to use home advantage against them. He added; ‘We have respect for them, but we are not scared of them.’

‘We have to win this opening match which is very important for us and the fans. We will not be far from home, so it won’t be that tough,’ Sibanda said.