The Warriors will face hosts Egypt in their opening group match of the competition on June 21
Zimbabwe President Emmerson Mnangagwa is optimistic that his national team will progress gradually.
The Warriors are among the 24 teams that will battle for the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) trophy in Egypt from June 21. In his speech during the fundraiser to help the team meet its financial obligations during the tournament, the President said qualification for the Afcon is the first step.
“We need our fans, our nation, to accept defeat, when teams are playing, one may win, one may lose, occasionally there is a draw, our qualification, therefore, to the 2019 Afcon tournament must be seen in the context of ensuring that our country progressively moves towards becoming a football powerhouse by 2030,” he was quoted by The Herald Newspaper.
“I further challenge the Sport and Recreation Commission, and the football fraternity, to put in place concrete strategies that will ensure the realisation of this vision.”
The President also challenged the leaders in the game to be transparent and at the same time urged the nation to support the Warriors during the month-long competition.
“I challenge stakeholders in the sporting fraternity to embrace good governance in the administration of sport. May I reiterate once again that corruption of any kind in any sport is not acceptable, please resist the temptation of corruption,” Mnangagwa continued.
“I congratulate the Warriors for the journey well-travelled, from the time of the Afcon qualifiers to the final tournament, this was by no means a small feat, well-done Warriors but the battle is not yet over.
“We support the Warriors because they are ours, the Warriors are Zimbabweans and we are Zimbabweans so there is no reason for us to look for reasons to support them, we are the Warriors and they are also the Warriors, we are Zimbabweans and they are also Zimbabweans.”
The Warriors are in Group A alongside Egypt, Uganda and DR Congo.
