Ariel Sibanda is ready for national team duty

By Mazini Mlalazi

Club Captain Ariel Sibanda who is in Botswana with the Zimbabwe senior men’s team for the AFCON qualifiers match against the Zebras is ready for the challenge should Warriors coach Zdravko Logarušić give him a nod for the must win encounter.

Sibanda who never stopped training to keep himself fit after the 2020 Chan competition that was hosted by Cameroon in January said it has always been his desire to represent the national team.

“It has always been my desire to play football and of course to represent the national team. Being named in the final squad is an indication that you might play anytime, depending on the coaches’ game plan. So I am ready for the challenge, should the coaches decide that I play,” said Sibanda.

A well-traveled Sibanda who has been in such countries as Cameroon, Sudan, Ethopia, Kenya, Angola, Tanzania, South Africa, Mauritius, France, England and Zambia is not worried about Botswana, a country he has also visited in many occasions.

Sibanda has been the best goalkeeper in the domestic league in the last two Zimbabwe Premier Soccer League seasons having won the goalkeeper of the year awards in two consecutive seasons in 2018 and 2019.

During the year 2020 there were no football activities in the country due to Covid-19 pandemic.

However, Sibanda last played a soccer match in January when he started for the Warriors in a Chan opener against hosts Cameroon.

The Warriors lost the match 1-0, but Sibanda had a superb performance as he also produced one of the best saves of the tournament.