United Kingdom-based footballer Andy Rinomhota has reportedly turned down the chance to play for Zimbabwe in the hope of securing a senior call-up for England in the future.
Rinomhota, who plays for English football Championship club Reading, was born in Leeds, United Kingdom, to a Zimbabwean father and British mother and is therefore eligible to play for the Warriors.
The Standard has however established that the midfielder has spurned the offer to play for Zimbabwe as he prefers to play for England. The publication quotes its source as saying:
Andy Rinomhota is one of the players Warriors coach Zdravko Logarušic has been closely monitoring ahead of the back-to-back qualifiers against Algeria.
He has been playing very well at Reading where he has established himself as one of the top midfielders not only for his team but in the Championship.
In the past, he had shown interest in playing for the Warriors, but it seems like he has changed his mind and now appears set on playing for England.
The Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) has in recent years been courting diaspora-born footballers to play for the Warriors.
Nottingham Forest defender Tendayi Darikwa, Moldova-based Alec Mudimu, Leicester City Academy striker Admiral Muskwe and Queens Park Rangers forward Macauley Bonne have all featured for the Warriors.
Jordan Zemura (Bournemouth), and David Moyo of Scottish top-flight side Hamilton Academical, are also some of the identified players who are on the cusp of earning national team call-ups.