MIGHTY Warriors coach Shadreck Mlauzi says he has been impressed with the positive energy in camp as they prepare for a return to the Cosafa Women’s Championships next week.
The 2023 edition of the competition will be held in Gauteng, South Africa from October 4-15.
Zimbabwe will be making a return to the competition having missed the last edition owing to a suspension from Fifa which has since been lifted.
The Mighty Warriors will open their 2023 Cosafa Women’s Championship next month with a tie against Lesotho on October 6.
Mlauzi’s troops are in Group C alongside Lesotho, Namibia and Botswana.
After Lesotho, Zimbabwe will face Namibia two days later before wrapping up their pool assignments against Botswana on October 11.
Mlauzi is looking forward to the competition.
“All has been good so far. The ladies have responded swiftly to the demands we have given them. They are showing loads of positivity in everything we have been doing.
“ The mood in camp is really exciting. We have a packed schedule but the ladies are putting in the shift.
“Previously we have had players coming into camp flat in terms of fitness because they will be lacking game time but this time around we do not have such a situation as everyone is fit and appears ready for the challenge,” said Mlauzi.
He however said there was a lot of work to be done to get to the level the team was before.
“Right now we want to place more effort on ourselves and not much about the opposition we will face. We have to make sure we are ready for the competition,” said the coach.
Mlauzi, who was in charge of the country’s senior women’s national team at the 2016 Olympics in Brazil, will be assisted by FC Platinum Queens’ Sithethelwe Sibanda, Correctional Services’ Choice Dambudza and former Mighty Warriors coach assistant coach Yohanne Chikaola.
Former Mutare City coach Ndega Matsika is the goalkeepers’ coach while Portia Chiota is the team manager.
The Mlauzi-led technical team will be in charge until June next year when the Normalisation Committee’s tenure ends.
The best runner-up across the three pools will also advance to the semi-finals.
It will be another exciting instalment of the best regional women’s competition on the continent with both Zambia and African champions South Africa having excelled at the 2023 Fifa Women’s World Cup in Australia and New Zealand.
The tournament is a good preparation for the second round of qualifiers for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Venues for the fixtures will be announced in due course and all matches will be streamed live on Fifa+ and will also be available on SuperSport.
Cosafa Draw
Group A South Africa, Malawi, Madagascar and Eswatini.
Group B Zambia, Mozambique, Angola and Comoros.
Group C Zimbabwe, Namibia, Lesotho and Botswana.
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