With a disappointing lack of Boxing Day games this season, football fans will need to look elsewhere for thrilling matches and holiday drama. Luckily, the biennial African Cup of Nations (AFCON) hosted by Morocco will be in full swing and free to watch on Channel 4. The Student spoke to Motherwell’s Zimbabwean star, Tawanda Maswanhise, ahead of the tournament.
Despite leaving Africa at the age of two and growing up in Leicester, the decision to play for Zimbabwe was always a given for Tawanda Maswanhise.
His family, both near and distant, always told Maswanhise of the love and support he would receive from representing the same country his father, sprinter Jefferey Maswanhiste, had competed for two decades earlier. According to Maswanhise, they were right.
During the last two years of representing Zimbabwe on the international stage, Maswanhise has experienced the love of millions of Zimbabweans desperate to see the Warriors play good football. He is experiencing the life of being a big fish in a rather dried up pond.
Zimbabwe is a beautiful sub-Saharan nation of roughly sixteen million people. It is famous for the Victoria Falls, hyperinflation, Robert Mugabe, and rich wildlife. It is not quite so famous for its football.
In March 2022, Zimbabwe were suspended from participation in international sport due to government interference. After it regained permission to compete in the middle of 2023, it was the job of ZIFA (Zimbabwe’s Football Association) to rebuild a team that had not existed for eighteen months.
Tawanda Maswanhise first represented Zimbabwe after the ban had been lifted and notes that it is not discussed or mentioned around him at the international camps. He does not think the ban necessarily sets the team back and has high hopes for the squad.
Maswanhise sees a generation of talented Zimbabwean players ready to lift the team to the next level and several experienced leaders there to guide them. He names Wolves’ Marshall Munetsi, Marvelous Nakamba, and the goalkeeper, Washington Arubi, as players who drive him to excel.
When I mention Tawanda Chirewa, Wolves’ young Zimbabwean talent, Maswanhise lights up: “Yeah, that’s my best mate whenever I go to the national camp. That’s my right hand.”
Zimbabwe have never made it to a World Cup and finished dead last in the recent qualifiers, failing to secure a single win from ten games. Despite this, Maswanhise has high hopes for 2030. He believes the squad has the capability to play well at major tournaments and that an older and experienced version of the talented squad the Warriors have now will have no excuse not to qualify.
I asked Maswanhise about his thoughts concerning a recent controversial statement made by Italy manager Gennaro Gattuso, arguing that African countries are getting too many spaces at the World Cup at Europe’s expense. Maswanhise feels that the nine African countries currently qualified for the World Cup in 2026 is a fair number.
“I know for sure that half of the African teams that play against Italy now would probably beat them. Africa has a lot of aggressive and strong players that people don’t really look into.”
A tournament Zimbabweans can look forward to is AFCON 2025 in Morocco, where the Warriors did manage to qualify. Zimbabwe are in a tough group with Egypt, Angola, and South Africa, but are hungry to win points and succeed, having never made it past the group stage before.
AFCON is just a few weeks away and Maswanhise can’t wait to get to his first major tournament. He warns that it would be a mistake to underestimate Zimbabwe.
He speaks about watching the competition throughout his childhood, seeing stars such as Drogba, Toure, Salah and Mané play. Maswanhise hopes he can bring the same energy and passion to Zimbabwe. Salah will most likely be an opponent in his first game against Egypt, although he is relieved that it is more of a problem for his defenders. He will instead focus on continuing his explosive form in Scotland.
AFCON does, however, mean trouble for Motherwell, as they will have to cope with losing a star player for several weeks. Other players will need to step up to fill the gap left by their top goalscorer.
It is also bad news for Tawanda Maswanhise’s chances of maintaining his position as top goalscorer in the Premiership this season. This is a small price to pay for your first major tournament. When he is playing football, cheered on by millions of hopeful Zimbabwean fans, the Scottish goalscoring prize will be in the back of his mind.
AFCON kicks off this Sunday, and Zimbabwe take on Egypt on Monday, and the tournament represents a chance for football fans to engage with the international game this winter.
Image Credits: “Africa Cup of Nations opening ceremony, 19 Jan 2013” by GovernmentZA is licensed under CC BY-ND 2.0.