The Sunday Mail
Langton Nyakwenda —
A lot of blame has been thrown at the face of Warriors coach Pasuwa while some believe our boys are not good enough and some think it is Zifa who should shoulder the blame for ill-preparing the team.
IT was a painful experience for the Warriors who melted in the humid and hot conditions of Gabon and came back home on Wednesday with a single point from three games at the ongoing 2017 Afcon finals.
Zimbabwe drew 2-2 against Algeria in their first match, lost 0-2 against Senegal before they were hammered 4-2 by Tunisia last Monday.
A lot of finger-pointing has been going on as the nation tries to come to terms with what has been termed a catastrophic Afcon campaign.
To use a popular cliché, the Harare International Airport resembled a funeral parlour last Wednesday when the Warriors touched down at around noon from their failed campaign with a few supporters present to welcome home the boys.
The boys who flew out as heroes to Gabon via Cameroon on January 8 returned as villains 17 days later while some blamed coach Kallisto Pasuwa who kept the nation unsure of his future throughout the week.
Since most of the church activities are on standby, owing to the persistent rains pounding most parts of the country, wouldn’t it be nice to dwell more on the nation’s number one team the Warriors? I think so because this is the topical issue which has even spilled in Parliament where some legislators — disappointed by the Warriors’ dismal performance in Gabon — went to the extent of advocating for a move that would have seen the players returning to Government part of the money they were given as appearance fees and out of pocket allowances.
But, have the boys suddenly become that bad? Who is to blame for the Warriors’ performance?
A lot of blame has been thrown at the face of Warriors coach Pasuwa while some believe our boys are not good enough and some think it is Zifa who should shoulder the blame for ill-preparing the team.
The neutrals will tell you there was huge gulf in class between the Warriors and their opponents.
Since this is a sport and religion column it is wise that we draw some of the answers from the Bible which speaks against pointing fingers extensively in the books of Matthew and Corinthians.
1 Corinthians 13:4-7 talks of endurance and love in such cases.
“Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.”
Mathew 7:1-5 warns against judging others.
“Judge not, that you be not judged.
‘‘For with the judgment you pronounce you will be judged, and with the measure you use it will be measured to you.
‘‘Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when there is the log in your own eye?
‘‘You hypocrite, first take the log out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to take the speck out of your brother’s eye.”
Maybe it is time we stop this blame game and concentrate on the future because it is there for our talking.
Something big coming
Xavier Bwanya got in touch to announce that they are planning something big in the capital.
He is the chairperson of the Harare Christian Soccer League and he promises a vibrant 2017 season.
“Thank you for this column which brings together sporting people in the church. We have something big coming for 2017 as the Harare Christian League and we would like to make it a wonderful year for Harare Christians who love soccer.
Chivhu League
Churches in and around Chivhu are in the process of putting up a league which will also involve social teams.
“A number of social teams are also eager to join the league and we see nothing wrong because we can also win some of the souls through such football gatherings,” wrote our contact in Chivhu.
Reminder, The Sunday Mail Sport and Religion column is not a football platform only so we invite those with various sporting activities to get in touch as we kick start 2017 in style!
We invite those with church sports news to contact Langton Nyakwenda on +263773298522, Facebook page Langton Nyakwenda or email [email protected]
