Zimbabwe Warriors Coach Shines in CHAN Tourney
Captain Danny Phiri is hoping this time the Warriors will go through to the final and hopefully win the tournament.
WASHINGTON DC — Zimbabwe’s Warriors coach Kalisto Pasuwa has added another chapter to his roll of honour. The former Dynamos coach has taken Zimbabwe’s Warriors to the 2016 Africa Nations Championships finals, only two months after he took the national junior team, the Young Warriors, to the Africa Games festival in the Congo. This comes after a Roderick Mutuma goal Sunday saw the Warriors settle for a one-all draw against the Crocodiles of Lesotho in Maseru, leaving Zimbabwe sailing through to the finals on 4-2 aggregate. The Warriors had won the first leg in Harare 3-1 and after finishing fourth at the last finals in South Africa, captain Danny Phiri is hoping this time they will go through to the final and hopefully win the tournament. Pasuwa will also go into the history books as the only coach in Zimbabwean football to win four consecutive league titles after achieving that feat with Dynamos winning the championship in 2011, 2012, 2013, and 2014. The Warriors’ qualification also comes barely a week after the women’s soccer team, the Mighty Warriors, qualified for the 2016 Olympic Games to be held in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. However, there was no joy back at home for Pasuwa’s former club, Dynamos, who dropped two crucial points after stuttering to a one-all draw against relegation-threatened Flame Lilly at Larfarge Stadium. Although the club’s supporters still had belief in beating other clubs after last week’s goalless draw against Harare City, this time they are singing another tune saying the league title is all but gone. Even coach Tonderayi Ndiraya admits that the league title is no longer in their hands saying it is now Chicken Inn or FC Platinum’s for the taking. Leaders Chicken Inn and second placed FC Platinum are scheduled to play each other on Wednesday. The Premier Soccer League are still to respond to Chicken Inn who have requested for the postponed of the game saying they want to assess some of their players who were in Lesotho with the national team. However, there is good news for Tsholotsho Pirates who have moved out of the relegation zone after a 1-0 win over Lloyd Mutasa’s Whawha. The win sees them share 26 points with Buffaloes but the Mutare based Zimbabwe National Army side who lost 1-0 at home to Hwange have dropped to fourth from bottom on goal difference. Harare City have also dropped one place down after being overtaken by Hwange in sixth position. This comes after their two-all home draw with How Mine which saw coach Taurayi Mangwiro blaming referee Josiah Masimire instead of his strikers who missed too many chances. Sunday Chidzambwa’s ZPC Kariba are now in ninth place after a 4-1 spanking of Dongo Sawmills, a result that gives bottom placed Dongo little chances of survival. However, word doing rounds is that ZPC Kariba could be without Chidzambwa next season as he is the target of his former club Dynamos who are not happy with Ndiraya’s performance.