ZIFA board member Bryton Malandule says the association expected the Warriors to be competitive at the Cosafa Cup, despite the regional showpiece being a developmental tournament.

Zdravko Logarusic’s charges put on a disastrous show in Port Elizabeth, and were eliminated without a single victory, a situation which has once again put the Croat’s position under scrutiny.

Logarusic belittled the importance of the tournament and suggested that it was just a developmental one but Malandule insists the team ought to have fared better regardless.

“Obviously, our objective as a board when we enter any tournament, be it COSAFA, CHAN or AFCON, we do not do so to go and fail, irrespective of the type of players, representing us,” Malandule told The Herald.

“Of course, a tournament like COSAFA is for developmental players but we expect the team to be competitive.

“If you look at the whole scenario, it’s not Zimbabwe alone who are fielding developmental sides.

“So, we expect the players selected to form a team that is strong enough to go and win the tournament, because we have guys playing in South Africa and Zambia.
“We had some guys, who featured in the Chibuku Super Cup, and the tournament was a chance for them as well.

“It is only fair that, as a board, we don’t interfere with the selection of the players. It’s the mandate of the technical team and we trust them to come up with a competitive team.

“As a board, the objective is to win and at the same time developing. Development, yes, but we expected more in terms of performance than what actually transpired,” he added.- Soccer24 Zimbabwe