The Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) has really rubbed Zimbabweans the wrong way on X (formerly Twitter) with their explanation for not putting player names on the back of jerseys.
Zimbabwe’s senior men’s team, fondly known as the Warriors, have drawn two of their opening 2026 World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Nigeria respectively.
ZIFA posted a video on its social media account showcasing Walter Musona’s goal against Nigeria. In the comments section, a Zimbabwean questioned why the players’ names weren’t on their jerseys, like pretty much every other football team on the planet. ZIFA’s comeback was that they’re not putting names on jerseys because players are reusing them.
ZIFA explained on X that they’ll only splash names on jerseys during tournaments where it’s a must. According to them, for these qualifying matches, having names on shirts means they can’t reuse them if a player isn’t called up for the next game.
“For qualifying matches, having names on shirts means that they will no longer be usable if a certain player is not called up in the next match. You will see names at tournaments where it is mandatory to have them ,” ZIFA said on X.
Public Outcry: Zimbabweans Unhappy with ZIFA’s Explanation
The response didn’t sit well with Zimbabweans, who expressed their discontent. Here are some reactions:
@leedzenga:
Guys please be serious.
@kebby971:
Kwanai handiti. Asi munoita one size fits all kani? Ipai Hatiperi contact iyo and see a great improvement not skiri dzekuba mari idzi. Players should feel free to give away jerseys to fans or swapping with other players.
@Mkay28_:
C’mon
The national team doesn’t even play more than 25 games per year. It wouldn’t even cost that much. So our players can’t even exchange jerseys after a match?
haaa be serious
@godrun:
What a miss! You have missed a great chance to remain silent.
@TeedzayiChari:
You need to move with the times, a shirt should be used once. Some even change during half-time
Source iHarare
