Tapera Applauds Warriors' Strong Start At COSAFA
Warriors interim coach Jairos Tapera has commended his squad for their performances at the ongoing Hollywoodbets COSAFA CUP 2024 tournament in South Africa, where they secured maximum points in two matches.
Following a 1-0 victory over Comoros on Thursday, Zimbabwe claimed a 2-0 win against rivals Zambia on Sunday.
Tapera, who also coaches Manica Diamonds, had faced criticism after the Warriors’ defeats to Lesotho and South Africa in the 2026 CAF World Cup qualifiers earlier in June.
Ahead of the Warriors’ final Group B game, Tapera expressed his confidence in the players’ performances.
The majority of the players in the squad compete in the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League (PSL). Said Tapera (via NewsDay):
In terms of performance and results, these boys have done very well. We are proud of their performance in all departments. They are doing exceptionally well and we wish they continued doing that going forward.
I am not surprised by the performance of this team. I have seen these boys play back home in the league, and I was an admirer of all of them before I got this coaching post.
It was a matter of calling these boys to the team because they are all wonderful players. They are very eager to improve in all aspects of the game.
He specifically mentioned Michael Tapera, who plays for Manica Diamonds but is not related to him.
Michael has scored in both of the Warriors’ matches so far, contributing two of the three goals scored by the team at COSAFA. Said Tapera:
Everybody can see how good he is. He has been scoring goals at Manica Diamonds, so this is just a continuation of what he has been doing in Zimbabwe. I am happy for him and I wish he continues to improve going forward.
Zimbabwe will face Kenya this afternoon in their final pool game, aiming to secure a semi-final spot.
Tapera mentioned that he plans to rotate the team against Kenya to give all players a chance to showcase their abilities, allowing the technical team to assess their performances.
Defenders Malvin Hativagone, Shane Maroodza from Huddersfield, and Joey Phuti, who made his debut against Zambia as a late substitute, are uncertain for the match due to injuries.
More: Pindula News
