Boost for Zimbabwe Afcon squad as UK born striker gets passport

The Zimbabwe national team for the African Cup of Nations has been given a major boost after a United Kingdom based player was accepted as eligible to play for the country and had his passport sorted out.

Posting on Twitter today the player Macauley Bonne using his handle @MBonne9 confirmed his availability ahead of the Afcon slated in a few months to come.

“To counter the press reports, I have completed all necessary documents to get my #Zimbabwe passport. I will be travelling to #AFCON2019 this summer, representing my country,” he said.

The processing of Macauley papers brings joy to millions of Zimbabweans as Team Manager Wellington Mpandare had initially assured the nation that Macauley Bonne submitted his papers to the Zimbabwe embassy in the UK with the hope of sorting his eligibility issues in time for AFCON.

Macauley was top scorer for his club Leyton Orient which finished top of the National League table in the English lower division.

Bonne, who has been a long time target for successive Warriors coaches  — Callisto Pasuwa and Sunday Chidzambwa — has been dithering in the past but the prospect of meeting premier league greats in Egypt might have changed his mind.

Currently he is not on Sunday’s Afcon, COSAFA provisional squads most likely because there was little hope of him getting Zimbabwe travel documents.

Last week, Warriors coach Chidzambga was pleading with government to allow foreign born “Zimbabweans” to get local passports after a law was passed restricting dual citizenship only to people who were born in Zimbabwe.

Exemptions has happened before with the likes of legendary Liverpool goalkeeper Bruce Grobbelaar and golfer Nick Price who represented the country with distinction on the international stage.