After sacrificing for the Warriors through injury and personal tragedy, Marshall Munetsi was cast aside by the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA ) on a flimsy excuse — exposing negligence, dishonesty, and a betrayal of trust that still haunts Zimbabwean football.
The Mabvuku-bred midfielder gave everything for the country’s senior men’s national team— and when ZIFA left him out of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) finals squad, he didn’t hide his disappointment.
“I just don’t think this is about football anymore because if I was really needed and important to the team, then your message would be different,” he said, cutting straight to the heart of the matter.
This was no ordinary player being left behind. Munetsi had played 90 minutes in five of the six qualifiers under former coach Michael Nees.
As one of the players who pushed for Zimbabwe’s readmission to international football, Munetsi strapped on a mask and battled through a broken nose against Rwanda and Nigeria in the country’s first 2 games after the 18-month suspension.
He had even taken the field while his wife was in hospital after a miscarriage, later reminding now head coach Marian Marinica: “She trusted me enough to stay there and make my country proud.”
That’s sacrifice. That’s loyalty. And yet, when AFCON rolled around, ZIFA tossed him aside with a frail excuse.
The official line? Concern for his health and a supposed FIFA Club Protection Plan (FCPP) clause.
But the truth is simpler: the Plan doesn’t stop federations from naming players of their choice. Morocco’s Achraf Hakimi, for example, was named in Atlas Lions squad for the continental showpiece despite recovering from injury and only featured in the final group game.
ZIFA’s explanation was a smokescreen because FCPP doesn’t tie a coach’s hands.
Munetsi himself insisted: “I had an injury recently, but my club, Wolves, communicated with the association that I was recovering well and even offered medical support to ensure that I could participate in the AFCON.”
He added, “I think someone in my position should be given the opportunity or the benefit of doubt to assist my country in any way that I can.”
That’s the voice of a senior player who knows his worth and who knows when he’s being sidelined for reasons that have nothing to do with football.
What makes ZIFA’s handling even worse is the negligence of its medical team. Instead of conducting their own assessment, they relied entirely on Wolves — a club with its own interests.
Wolves had every incentive to protect their asset and even more reason to keep him fresh for an impending loan move rather than risk him at AFCON.
By failing to exercise their duty, ZIFA betrayed the trust of a player who had given everything for the gold and green Warriors strip.
Meanwhile, Zimbabwe’s AFCON campaign was a 1-point catastrophe. While some players who didn’t play the qualifiers went through three matches without kicking a ball, a man who played almost every qualifier was watching from home.
He wasn’t alone though. Walter Musona, the top scorer in the qualifiers, suffered the same fate. If Munetsi had even a 1% chance of playing, he should have been there.
Tellingly, Zimbabwe’s only loss in the qualifiers was the only game he didn’t play.
The irony is that missing AFCON worked out for Munetsi. He recovered fully from the calf injury suffered in a league match against Nottingham Forest, joined Paris FC, and immediately made his debut in a 2-1 win over Nantes.
But that doesn’t erase the fact that ZIFA failed him — and by extension, failed the team.
This wasn’t about fitness. It wasn’t about risk. It was about an association that doesn’t value its stars and a medical team that shirked its duty.
Munetsi deserved better. And until ZIFA stops hiding behind excuses and starts respecting the players who bleed for the shirt, Zimbabwean football will keep betraying its own — and watching glory slip through its fingers.
