Zimbabwe Defender Quits International Football

Zimbabwe defender Costa Nhamoinesu has announced his retirement from international football.

The 33-year-old has played 11 times and scored his first goal for Zimbabwe on 18 March 2016 in an Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Swaziland.

He said on Twitter; “ Calling a day at international level. Thank you God for the opportunity. Thank you Zimbabwe.”

Nhamoinesu, who plays club football in the Czech First Division for Sparta Prague, has not played for his country since 2017 Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon.

It is reported that the Harare-born player fell out of favor with Zimbabwean FA officials after declining to travel by road to South Africa for the Cosafa Cup tournament last year.

The tournament was staged in South Africa and country’s football governing body decided that the team travels by bus, as opposed to flying directly to Jonanessbourg.

Nhamoinesu had undergone a similar experience as he was at some point left stranded in Harare following the Warriors’ 2017 AFCON qualifying match against Guinea after Zifa failed to reimburse him for the air ticket he bought for the game played in September 2015.

Kalisto Pasuwa, the then Warriors coach, had to intervene by giving the player money to enable him to return to his base in Europe.

Since the Cosafa Cup incidence, Nhamoinesu has not been called up to the Warriors, but after qualifying for the finals, the technical team had a change of heart, considering the steely defender.

The full-back, whose career has seen him also play in Poland, debuted for Zimbabwe in 2008. In 2012, he was among those exonerated from a lifetime ban imposed on many Zimbabwean internationals for match-fixing.