Petros Kausiyo Deputy Sports Editor
ZIFA have paid tribute to the Government for facilitating the issuance of passports to Zimbabwean players based in the Diaspora, enabling them to play for the Warriors.
The association’s president Phillip Chiyangwa thanked the Government through Foreign Affairs and International Trade Minister Sibusiso Moyo and his officials for ensuring the long and agonising wait which the Warriors’ foreign legion had endured for passports is over.
This came as Nottingham Forest defender Tendai Darikwa was issued with his passport yesterday with more of his colleagues expected to have their documents processed and clearing the path for them to feature for the Warriors.
Chiyangwa, in a statement yesterday, also saluted the Registrar-General’s office for processing the passports that should now clear the way for the British Brigade as this legion of young players are popularly known to impress coach Sunday Chidzambwa.
The players were born of Zimbabwean parents who are in the Diaspora but have, more importantly expressed their willingness to play for the Warriors.
Darikwa became the first of the British Brigade to be issued with a Zimbabwean passport amid revelations that the Registrar General’s office was now working on processing the documents for such players like McCauley Bonne, Adam Chicksen, Tristan Nydam who are also in the United Kingdom as well as German-based striker Kelvin Lunga.
Chiyangwa said the gesture by the government would help in the Warriors’ quest for a place at the African Cup of Nations scheduled for Cameroon in June next year.
The ZIFA boss said his board would pull all the stops to assist the Warriors and all the other national teams in their quest for success on the international stage.
Chiyangwa’s tenure at ZIFA has been characterised by tranquillity in the national teams’ camps and, crucially successes for the Warriors who qualified for the 2017 Nations Cup with a game to spare and won back to back COSAFA titles in the last two years.
The Harare business tycoon is happy to see the national team’s selection base being widened to allow Zimbabweans living abroad a chance to fight for places in Chidzambwa’s side.
“We are extremely grateful to the Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade SB Moyo and his team of officials for going all out of their way to assist us to secure documentation, which our players need to represent their motherland.
“We also thank the Registrar General’s office for speedily processing Tendai Darikwa’s passport and pledging to do the same for the other players that are eligible to apply.
“From an administrative point of view we can only facilitate on such issues like a smooth camp, travel, and securing the necessary documents but is the coaches’ prerogative to choose who they want for each particular assignment,’’ Chiyangwa said.
Warriors team manager Wellington Mpandare who has worked tirelessly in trying to get the long dragging players’ passports issue resolved, was naturally a relieved man and lauded Darikwa and his colleagues for committing to play for their country of origin.
Mpandare said Darikwa was over the moon when he received news that his passport had been issued which cleared one of the biggest hurdles that had been derailing his bid to play for the Warriors in a competitive game.
Darikwa had a feel of the national team set-up when he was part of the British Brigade that featured in the international friendly assignments against Lesotho and Namibia last year.
But the 26-year-old defender and a host of other players whose parents are Zimbabweans have had to patiently wait as Mpandare fought to have their papers in order.
The enterprising manager at times even ruffled some feathers of some authorities in such institutions like the Sport and Recreation Commission and the Ministry of Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation for allegedly frustrating the process.
Mpandare said they were now working to ensure such players like Lunga, who is son of former Zimbabwe and Dynamos striker Max Lunga Makanza can be available for selection for the remainder of the Warriors’ qualification campaign.
“We thank the ZIFA board for always affording us a chance to get the players that we wanted. It must be recalled that the board went out of their way to fly these players for friendly matches knowing that their passports were not yet in place.
“I have just been to collect Darikwa’s passport and this development widens the coaches’ selection base.
“I would also want to thank the Zimbabwe Foreign Legion, an online group that has been very supportive of this cause . . . I can’t name them all but they are spread in UK, Germany and the United States.
“Special thanks too to the government and to the Deputy Registrar Mr Ben Mpala for personally committing to assisting us on the matter.
“Darikwa has got his passport now and next up are McCauley, Tristan, Kelly Lunga, and Adam Chicksen. I urge the players to follow the route that Darikwa took and go to their embassy in their respective countries where they be assisted in undertaking the application process,’’ Mpandare said.
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