Bruce Chikuni
Sports Reporter
THE Zimbabwe National Soccer Supporters Association believes the ZIFA Normalisation Committee can help the Warriors’ World Cup cause by getting fans to Kigali for matches against Rwanda and Nigeria this month.
Interim Warriors coach, Baltemar Brito, has already appealed for support ahead of the trip to Rwanda, which includes a supposed home match.
Warriors will square up against Rwanda on November 15 and then host Nigeria four days later in the same country.
Zimbabwe have to host Nigeria in Kigali as CAF have not yet approved any of the local stadiums under the FIFA specifications.
Now, the local supporters body believes their presence in Rwanda is what Brito and the Warriors need if they are to lay a solid foundation for the 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign.
ZNSSA is now appealing to the interim Zifa leadership to consider chartering a flight to carry supporters to Rwanda.
This association is being led by a passionate Warriors fan, Gladman ‘Dallas’ Sekawawana, who has also travelled with the national team during their recent appearances at the AFCON finals.
Sekawawana feels it will be a shame to Zimbabwean football if they play their back-to-back assignments without their fans.
The Normalisation Committee officials confirmed having received ZNSSA’s request.
The letter started by congratulating the association chairman, Lincoln Mutasa, for his appointment and further narrowed down their plight.
“Zimbabwe National Soccer Supporters Association welcomes you, sir, and your committee as we embark on the journey to revive our beloved sport of soccer in Zimbabwe.
“We are fully behind you and we are committing ourselves to working with you to achieve success. It is with this in mind, sir, that we want to emphasize the importance of supporters for our game to prosper. We have taken note of the fact that the national team will be playing in Rwanda in the next two World Cup qualifiers.
“As an association, we kindly request through your office for a charter plane that will carry the 12th man to and from Rwanda to go and cheer our Warriors as they go to battle.
“We are cognisant of the fact that this request might have come late; however, we still believe that there is enough time to come up with a plan that can surely boost the morale of the team.
“We will stand guided by your office in terms of what is feasible, and we can engage our constituency with the modalities for the trip.
“We look forward to your favourable response, and we wish the Warriors success in the two forthcoming games,” reads the ZNSSA letter.