No Special Travel Exceptions For Players, Says ZIFA After Fusire Omission

The Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) has confirmed that it will not make any special exceptions for players after dropping Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Sean Fusire from the national team squad.

Fusire was omitted ahead of the upcoming two World Cup qualifiers after requesting business-class travel.

A ZIFA official told NewsDay that the association decided to remove the England-based player, who has two national team caps, after he “made demands whose financial implications the association could not fulfil.”

The official added that all other players and staff, including association president Nqobile Magwizi, are booked in economy class for official travel.

The official also said that Fusire had previously travelled in economy class for the Warriors’ friendly matches in Morocco in June, where he made his national team debut. Said the official:

“ZIFA’s policy is that all players and officials are booked in economy class.

“But if one decides they want business class travel, they then upgrade themselves using personal resources. Some players usually do that.

“That was the message communicated to Fusire, but he insisted to coach Michael Nees that he must be booked in business class.

“Unfortunately, the association could not make an exception, and he had to be dropped.”

The official added that ZIFA’s door remains open to all players deemed good enough to represent the national team, and Fusire could still play for the Warriors in the future.

In a statement on Monday night, Fusire confirmed that his absence was due to a disagreement over his travel arrangements, not a lack of commitment to the team or his country.

He explained that, given his history of injuries and the demanding travel schedule of over 40 hours, he had requested a flight upgrade from economy to business or premium economy to ensure he would be in peak physical condition for the matches.

When this was declined, he made a more modest request—an upgrade for the 11-hour return flight from South Africa to the United Kingdom, offering to use his owed allowances to help cover the cost.

Fusire said there was no further communication from officials following this offer.

Feeling uncomfortable travelling without a resolution, he decided to withdraw from the squad.

The Warriors are in the Ivory Coast to face Benin on Friday, before travelling to South Africa to host Rwanda on 9 September at Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg.

Both Zimbabwe and Benin are playing their home matches on neutral ground because they do not have Confederation of African Football-approved stadiums in their home countries.