Daily Independent Online.
*
Thursday, June 17, 2004.
Nwaruwari back for Warriors
By Afolabi Gambari,
Special
Correspondent,
Harare
The twelve-month
absence of French club AJ Auxerre striker, Benjani Mwaruwari from
Zimbabwe’s national team, the Warriors, ended yesterday as the player
trained with team mates ahead of Sunday’s World Cup/Nations Cup 2006
qualifier against Desert Warriors of Algeria.
Mwaruwari had
cupped a knee injury in a Tunisia 2004 Nations Cup qualifier against Seychelles
at the Harare National Sports Stadium in June last year, and remained in obscurity ever since as the injury
also sidelined him in Auxerre’s calculation.
The elated striker,
popularly called "Undertaker" for his goal-poaching prowess, drew a
mammoth crowd of fans at training
at the National Sports Stadium as his arrival in Harare on Tuesday night from
Sandton in South Africa, where he had been holidaying, was a subject of
speculation among most football fans who hitherto believed he had called it
quits with the Warriors’ side after cleverly avoiding invitation to the
last Nations Cup.
Nwaruwari who spoke
with Daily Independent after the training said he was happy to rejoin the
national team, stressing that it was also gladdening to be able to correct
wrong impressions about his recent past in service to Zimbabwe.
"I got this
injury while I was playing for Zimbabwe," he began. "Despite that I
tried my very best to seek the best cure possible even as I lost favour with my
club officials in France who felt disappointed that I would be sidelined to the
club’s detriment."
"In that
situation," he continued, "I should be expected to sort out myself
and secure my future and in the meantime, playing for the national team was out
of the question. I was still sorting out myself when the Nations Cup invitation
came and although I explained to the ZIFA officials that I would not be in a
good frame of mind to wear national colours, I was surprised that a story
emanated from there saying I was not patriotic and I felt terribly bad that I
almost desperately sought this opportunity to return and prove my
patriotism."
The beleaguered
striker who has already warmed himself to the heart of Warriors’
caretaker coach Rahman Gumbo, expressed desire to excel in Sunday’s
match. "This is the only way that the past can be buried and then we can
forge ahead," he enthused.
The Warriors’
squad has also been beefed up with the presence of Polish club Legea Warsaw
defender Dickson Choto who starred for the Warriors at Tunisia but was absent
at the June 5 Libreville game against Azingo Nationale of Gabon.
The big defender
who plays in same club with Super Eagles’ winger Ifeanyi Ekwueme and
described the Nigerian as "my best friend in the Polish League",
stated that Zimbabwe was as good a favourite as any country in Group 4.
"It is a competition and only the best prepared would emerge top," he
maintained.
Meanwhile, reports have revealed that Zimbabwean authorities
are sending a delegation to Luanda on Friday on espionage to see how the Super
Eagles fare against Palancas Negras of Angola in another qualifier scheduled
for Sunday. When Daily Independent called ZIFA Chairman Rafik Khan yesterday to
confirm the reports, he dismissed them as "unfounded". But Sports
Editor of state-owned Herald Newspaper, Robson Sharuko, stated that it was the usual
practice, "especially as Luanda is just across the border and it costs no
fortune for such mission to be actualised."
