Zimbabwe Warriors have suffered an injury blow ahead of the upcoming Four Nations Tournament in Botswana, with four key players ruled out of action.
Scotland-based forward Tawanda Maswanhise of Motherwell FC is among those sidelined, along with Knowledge Musona, Prince Dube and Thandolwenkosi Ngwenya.
Head coach Marian Marinica has been forced to make late adjustments, calling up Washington Navaya of Hardrock, Jarrison Selemani from FC Platinum, Godknows Murwira of Scottland, and Mongameli Tshuma from Highlanders FC.
Players began reporting for camp in Bulawayo on Monday, with early arrivals including Andrew Mbeba, Mongameli Tshuma, Washington Navaya and Elvis Chipezeze, who took part in a light gym session. The full squad was expected to assemble by Monday evening.
With limited time to prepare, Marinica admitted the challenge of building chemistry within the team.
He said:
“We want everyone to enjoy the tournament, especially the fans who have waited a long time. This competition carries FIFA ranking points and a trophy, so we must be competitive. We need to build a successful future team. Although preparation time is short, with only two sessions, we still aim for the players to gel. We also want to give new faces an opportunity.”
As part of their build-up, the Warriors will take on Highlanders FC in a practice match on Wednesday.
The Four Nations Tournament runs from March 28 to 31 in Botswana, with Zimbabwe set to depart for Francistown on Thursday.
