Nickname(s) Mighty Warriors Current 84 4 (24 March 2017) Lowest 118 (August 2010) Head coach Shadreck Mlauzi Location Zimbabwe | FIFA code ZIM Highest 82 (December 2013) Appearances 4 (first in 1991) Captain Rudo Neshamba | |
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Confederation Confederation of African Football Similar Zambia women's national football team, Malawi women's national football team, Tanzania women's national football team | ||
The Zimbabwe women's national football team is the national women's football team of Zimbabwe and is overseen by the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA). As of August 2013 they were ranked 83rd in the world.
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Their first competitive international match was played in the 2000 African Women's Championship, when they drew against Uganda 2–2 on 11 November 2000. They actually were in the draw for the 1991 edition, but withdrew from the tournament before playing a match.
Their best result in the African Women's Championship was 4th in 2000. They have never qualified for the World Cup.
They qualified for the 2016 Olympic football tournament, and finished last in their group (containing Canada, Germany, and Australia) after losing 6–1 to Germany, 3–1 to Canada and 6–1 to Australia.
History
Zimbabwe were slated to appear at the 1991 African Women's Championship, but withdrew before their first round match with Zambia. In June 1997 the team played South Africa at FNB Stadium in a curtain raiser to the men's Nelson Mandela Challenge. In 2003 the team's star player Yesmore Mutero publicly accused the national coach Shacky Tauro of infecting her with HIV during extramarital sex. Tauro denied the claims but abruptly left his job. Mutero died in 2004, followed by Tauro in 2009. A subsequent inquiry into allegations of widespread sexual abuse of Zimbabwe's female footballers was botched by ZIFA.
In the COSAFA Women's Championship they finished 2nd in 2002 and fourth in 2006. In 2011 they were crowned champions.
In addition to covering up sexual abuse, ZIFA have provided inadequate and dangerous training facilities, failed to arrange preparation matches, withheld contractual payment and bonuses, refused to pay for travel to away matches and refused to pay for treatment of injured players. As a reward for qualifying for the 2016 Africa Women Cup of Nations, each player was given $50 to buy a dress. The players performed at the 2016 Olympics despite being owed $3,500 each from the association. Upon their return from Brazil, no ZIFA officials greeted the players who were given either $5 or $15 to travel home. An editorial in The Standard newspaper said: "Friday’s debacle at the airport exposed the Zifa president for what he is — a loud mouth failure who is taking Zimbabwean football to the gutter."
Olympic Games record
*Draws include knockout matches decided on penalty kicks.2016 Olympic Games
Zimbabwe qualified for the 2016 Olympic Games after beating Zambia 2–2 on away goals, Côte d'Ivoire via a walkover, and Cameroon 2–2 on away goals. They qualified along with South Africa, who finished last in their group as well.
They were drawn into a group with Germany, Canada, and Australia, and were the only team in the women's tournament to lose all of their games.
Current squad
The following 18 players were called up for the 2016 Summer Olympics.