Chiyangwa says he is funding Warriors with own money




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Zimbabwe need at least a point in Monrovia to qualify for the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals for the fourth time

Zimbabwe FA (Zifa) president Philip Chiyangwa has revealed that he uses his own money to finance the Zimbabwe national team as they near Afcon qualification.

The Warriors face Liberia in Monrovia on Sunday and a draw will see them qualify for the 2019 Afcon tournament.

The foreign-based contingent of Zimbabwe players flew straight to Liberia from their respective bases in a cost-cutting measure by Zifa, while the home-based players departed from Harare on Wednesday.

With the economic crisis biting in Zimbabwe, there have been struggles to fund the national team and Chiyangwa revealed that he sometimes uses money from his own pocket to drive the national team.

“Right now, myself and my vice-president (Omega Sibanda), we are Members of Parliament. We want to use this opportunity to lobby the government to start funding the national teams,” Chiyangwa was quoted as saying by NewsDay.

“Right now, the team is going to Liberia and we have been running around with Philemon Machana (Zifa board member in charge of finance) to get the money for the tickets and allowances.

“Often, I have had to use my own money and sometimes borrowing from friends to try and finance the national teams. In other countries, national teams are the responsibility of the government, and that’s what should also be happening here.”

Even the previous Zifa regime president Cuthbert Dube used to fork out money from his businesses to finance the national team.

Zimbabwe have eight points and are on top of Group G, three points clear of second-placed DR Congo.