Wolverhampton Wanderers striker Marshall Munetsi was aware that he would not be a part of their squad for the Africa Cup of Nations.
That’s according to the president of the Zimbabwe FA, Nqobile Magwizi, who has responded to the Wolve’s striker’s recent claims. Foot Mercato cover his comments in local newspaper The Herald.
Munetsi went public with his displeasure about being left out of Zimbabwe’s squad for the upcoming tournament. He had expected to be in the squad, having played 90 minutes in five of the six qualifying games for it.
It was instead a ‘considerable surprise’ when he was left out this week. The Wolves striker responded to the ‘bitter blow’, questioning his manager’s decision.
He explained how he had put his personal life on hold to play for his country this year and then questioned whether the decision was more than just a football one. He very much believes that there is more at play than simply football.
It seems Zimbabwe aren’t happy with his comments, though. And Magwizi wants to make it clear, it was the Wolves striker being injured that led to the decision.
“After this commitment, we asked Munetsi for a waiver, but this communication never arrived,” he said.
“Even though we would love to have him in the squad, we cannot take that risk because it involves responsibilities. If a player is injured while on international duty, the federation is obligated to cover all expenses and salaries until his recovery.
“ZIFA doesn’t have the means to do so, so we are bound by the contracts we have with the clubs. We are a weakened team because two of our experienced players will not participate in the tournament.
“We will have to make do with the available players, but we will certainly miss Munetsi and Zemura.”
