Tadious Manyepo in PRETORIA, South Africa
MIGHTY Warriors coach Shadreck Mlauzi is not looking for any excuses as the national senior women’s team open their COSAFA campaign with a date against Lesotho at Lucas Moripe Stadium here this afternoon.
The match kicks off at 12 noon.
This is Zimbabwe’s first official international competition in over 18 months as the country has been under FIFA suspension which was lifted only in June.
The Women’s Super League has, however, been up and running with Mlauzi, who led the same team to the 2016 Olympics in Brazil, demanding character from his charges.
“The nation appreciates where we are coming from. We have to put in motion short, medium and long-term strategic plans,” said Mlauzi.
“We haven’t been playing international football for some time and this is our first competition.
“Nonetheless, we have to be extremely competitive in this tournament.
“We are harbouring hopes of being competitive. That is the reason why we are here.
“I am very confident that these girls will make the nation proud”.
Mlauzi said if the Mighty Warriors come to the party, they can beat anyone at the tournament.
“We have done some technical analysis on how these teams play.
“We have really done our homework.
“We have no negative issues and it’s all positive. I think we stand a very good chance of beating Lesotho in our first match. We have worked on our combinations and it’s looking good”.
The gaffer said although the tournament is expected to be tough, Zimbabwe can even go all the way if they apply themselves well.