WITH the African Cup of Nations fast approaching and the Warriors moving to their base in Bafoussam, Cameroon, yesterday afternoon ahead of the continental football showpiece, striker David Moyo has vowed to lead from the front as the team seek to defy the odds at the tournament.
The AFCON tournament runs from January 9 to February 6 in the west African country.
The Warriors have been camped in Yaounde since they arrived in Cameroon on December 30 last year and the team was expected to shift to Bofoussam, some 217 kilometres away from the capital, yesterday following the arrival of England-based forward Admiral Muskwe.
Captain Knowledge Musona flew in from his base in Saudi Arabia on Tuesday and had his first training with the rest of the squad yesterday morning in Yaounde.
Only Bournemouth left-back Jordan Zemura is yet to report for camp after he was caught up in a Covid-19 outbreak at his English Championship side AFC Bournemouth team over the weekend.
He is, however, expected to come out of isolation today after which he is scheduled to fly directly to Cameroon.
With the Warriors placed in Group B together with fancied Senegal, Guinea and Malawi, odds are stuck against them but Moyo, who plies his trade with Scottish First Division side Hamilton Academical, believes the team has what it takes to cause some upsets at the tournament.
“Look, everything is always impossible until it’s done! So we have to have faith and believe in our ability.
“It’s true, we are being regarded as some of the underdogs at this tournament to which we cannot say anything but do everything on the pitch. We have to make a statement on the pitch,” said Moyo.
“Every football match and every football tournament is tough but look, we have the quality within our ranks and we have a top, top coach in Norman Mapeza and if we are disciplined and play to instruction, I see ourselves doing wonders.
“This is a tournament and tournament football is about getting the results under any circumstances. We have to deliver the results, that is what is important at the end of the day.”
Moyo has promised to score goals which he has lacked over the past games.
“Failing to score over the past games doesn’t make me feel any pressure. As a footballer, I just play my natural game and I know when I do it, it comes with goals, so I have no doubt goals will come. If we should get positive results, well, we have to score goals and as a striker I also know that I have to contribute to those goals. A game of football is about goals at the end of the day.
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“I am geared to play to the best of my abilities, assist if I can and score if I can. At the end, it is not about me scoring or assisting, it is about the team and the country winning. That is what we are here for but, as a player, I want to contribute all I can to make sure that it is the team which wins in the end.”
Moyo is an excited lot ahead of the continental football jamboree to which he will be making his debut.
“Absolutely nothing defeats how I am feeling. I’m very excited to be among the team which is participating at a tournament where the best of Africa’s talent is. It’s an honour and I would like to salute the technical team for investing their faith in me.
“As a player, you dream of being involved in tournaments like every time so I’m just happy to be among the squad. I will leave everything on the pitch. I implore everyone in the team to push as hard as we can and stick together through the battle as we are not only playing for ourselves but for the rest of the country.”
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