Peter Ndlovu says unity will save local football

Zim Now Writer

Former Warriors captain Peter Ndlovu has called for a collective approach to help save the national game.

The former Warriors talismanic captain, who celebrated his 50th birthday on Saturday, posted on his Twitter handle: “Mr Mitchell Gumbo (here) is a special message to your sentiments on this platform, thank you for speaking about our Warriors, who you think have taken a slide.

“It’s our responsibility with the others to come together and try to fix this thing that’s going down, which is our football.

“We can assure you that we will work hard and try to come back to lift it up.”

Ndlovu was responding to a Twitter user, Mitchell Gumbo who has inquired on what was needed to get the country back onto the international football scene.

Zimbabwe was banned from international football over third party interference into football matters after the Sports and Recreation Commission suspended the Zifa executive led by Felton Kamambo.

International football governing body Fifa has demanded the reinstatement of the Kamambo-led Zia board for the ban on the country to be lifted.

On the other hand, the local game’s standards have dropped over the years.

Since the sanctions came in place in March last year, Zimbabwean national teams have missed several international tournaments such as the 2023 Afcon Qualifiers, Cosafa Cup, CHAN Qualifiers, U23 Afcon Qualifiers, CAF Champions League, Confederation Cup, and Women’s Champions League.

This continued absence from the international stage has affected the national teams’ Fifa Rankings, while players’ valuation usually drops when not playing international football.

The Warriors are currently ranked number 125 on the world table and number 33 in Africa, in the latest rankings that were released in December 2022. The women’s national team, the Mighty Warriors, is also placed outside the top 100 on position 127.