The Zimbabwe senior national team the Warriors were stranded at Johannesburg's OR Tambo Airport, and had to depart for Maputo only on Friday morning due to some financial woes, ahead of their make or break tie with Mozambique in a 2014 Fifa World Cup qualifier.

The Warriors, who were scheduled to depart Jo'burg using a mid-day flight, received bad news from their coach minutes before checking in that there was a problem with their flight arrangements. It is clear that the problem is related to funds issue, and the suspicion is that there was a problem between Zifa and their travel agent over payment issues.

Players had already had their bags sealed and apparently some of the players were on the queue when coach Rahman Gumbo advised them of the change in plans.

The players were quickly taken to a lodge where they had lunch and wasted a day of training as Zifa ran around trying to figure out an alternative of flying to Maputo on Thursday. It seems like the association hit a brick wall and settled on the team departing on Friday morning.

Zifa board member for Finance Nigel Munyati tried to shed some light on the Warriors' nightmarish week which included a bar from using the National Sports Stadium for practice purposes earlier in the week.

"We couldn’t find a connecting flight from Johannesburg to Maputo, hence
the delay.

"We have decided that the team leaves in the evening and will
put up in South Africa then connect to Maputo tomorrow morning (today).
We are working on finding accommodation for the team in SA.

The team which has already departed from Johannesburg's OR Tambo airport, is expected to touch down in Maputo in the afternoon.

“We (the national team) are now leaving tomorrow morning (Friday morning) and we should be in Maputo at 1455hrs,” confirmed interim team manager Nyika Chifamba.

Gumbo named the squad which will battle for a result against the Black Mambas of Mozambique on Sunday in Maputo.

Warriors squad for Mozambique tie

Goalkeepers:  T Kapini, M Jani

Defenders:  O Machapa, C Nyadombo, E Nyandoro, V Nyoni,O Bhasera , A Chaka

Midfielders: A Gutu, O Karuru,W
Katsande, T
Nengomasha, K Billiat, D Mukamba

Strikers: K. Musona, T Chinyama, T Mandaza, R Chinyengetere.