Zimbabwe: Clubless Karuru Dropped From Revised Warriors Squad
ZIMBABWE Warriors vice captain Ovidy Karuru has been omitted from the revised squad for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers against South Africa and Ethiopia which is expected to be announced on Monday.
The inclusion of Karuru in the provisional squad initially announced last week set tongues wagging as the 32 year-old midfielder is currently without a club after parting ways with relegated South African side Black Leopards at the end of last season.
Following a meeting on Friday due the Warriors technical team headed by Croatian Zdravko Logarusic decided to drop Karuru from the squad to enable him to secure his future.
Defender Jimmy Dzingai who was released by Zambian club Nkana last season has also been dropped from the revised squad as he is yet to find a new club.
Logarusic is expected to have a severely depleted squad for the matches against South Africa’s Bafana Bafana as he is unable to call on the services of England-based players, including US-based centre-back Teenage Hadebe.
Midfielder Marvelous Nakamba and his colleagues who play in the United Kingdom such as Tendayi Darikwa, Admiral Muskwe, Jordan Zemura, Macauley Bonne, Brendan Galloway and Scotland-based David Moyo are unable to travel after the English clubs resolved to bar players from travelling to destinations on the country’s coronavirus red-list.
USA-based defender Teenage Hadebe, who plays for Houston Dynamo in the Major League Soccer (MLS), is also not coming for the two fixtures due to the Covid-19 restrictions.
The Warriors will however be boosted by the availability of the France-based duo of Marshal Munetsi and Tinotenda Kadewere following confirmation that they are going to feature in the two matches while Saudi Arabia-based skipper Knowledge Musona will lead the side.
The Warriors technical team last Friday discussed solutions to the potential squad crisis due to Covid-19 restrictions imposed on players based in England.
A resolution was made that replacements will be called up if Fifa and the Confederation of African Football intervention in the standoff does not yield positive results in a space of two days.
Warriors coach Zdravko Logarusic has made some additions to the provisional squad.
Defenders Godknows Murwira of Dynamos, FC Platinum’s William Stima and Kelvin Moyo who is unattached at the moment have been drafted into the squad.
In midfield, the coaches have called up the South African-based duo of Farai Madhanhanga and Ishmael Wadi alongside talented winger Silas Songani from defending Premier league champions, FC Platinum.
Former Bosso striker Knox Mutizwa of Golden Arrows in the DStv Premiership and Ishmael Wadi who plays for JDR Stars in Mzansi’s GladAfrica Championship have been called up together with Silas Songani of FC Platinum.
The team is expected to go into camp this Sunday with training sessions getting underway on Monday ahead of the match against South Africa at the National Sports Stadium on Friday.
By New Zimbabwe.
