BY FORTUNE MBELE
ENGLAND-based defender Brendan Galloway has confirmed his availability for the Warriors’ Group G World Cup qualifier against South Africa next month after receiving an invite from Zifa.
Galloway (25), who plays for League One side Plymouth as a left-back will have to fight for a jersey in the Warriors defence where there is Jordan Zemura (Bournemouth) also based in England and South Africa-based duo of Devine Lunga and Onesmor Bhasera.
However, Warriors manager Wellington Mupandare says coach Zdravko Logarušic intends to use Galloway in the centre where there is also Teenage Hadebe, who plays in the US, with Alec Mudimu, who left his Turkish side Ankaraspor last month, likely to be sacrificed.
Mupandare said he is in touch with Galloway and it looks promising.
“We did send an invitation to Galloway and I talk to him. I am constantly in touch with him. Yesterday (Monday), he actually sent me a message enquiring on when he is wanted and I told him that on his invitation letter (to Plymouth) I gave him the date. With the way he was talking, he is willing,” Mupandare said.
He added: “From what the coach was saying, he wants Galloway to play as a centre-back. Bhasera played well against Botswana and Zambia. It will be unfair not to include him. Devine has always been playing well and has now joined a new club. It will again be difficult to leave him. It is a difficult situation, but we are happy we have quality in that position.”
Mupandare says he spoke to Aston Villa’s Marvelous Nakamba and Nyasha Munetsi, who plays for Reims in France and he is also hopeful on skipper Knowledge Musona.
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“I have just been speaking to Munetsi today (yesterday) and he was telling me his club is happy because they got an invite on time and they have not said he is not coming. I also spoke to Marve (Nakamba) today (Tuesday), he was also saying he will see us month-end when he comes,” he said.
The Warriors manager said the ball is now in Caf and Fifa’s courts after Zifa dispatched invites to all clubs with players earmarked for the match.
“We have sent invites to the teams. Unfortunately, Caf or Fifa have not come up with a position on what they are going to do. They are carrying out a survey where they wrote us asking us about the COVID-19 protocols in Zimbabwe which the Health ministry responded and we sent it to Caf. We hope after the exercise they will come up with a position, where our thinking is that this is a World Cup qualifier and Fifa would not want anything to disturb their game. It doesn’t look like the clubs don’t want to release players,” Mupandare said.
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