Tinotenda Kadewere, the France-based striker for the Zimbabwe national football team, has been ruled out of Zimbabwe’s upcoming 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers against Kenya and Cameroon after suffering an injury.
Kadewere, who plays for Nantes in Ligue 1, aggravated his injury during a match against Marseille over the weekend. Despite scoring Nantes’ only goal in a 2-1 loss, the injury has forced him to withdraw from the Warriors’ upcoming fixtures.
As a result, the 27-year-old forward will miss Zimbabwe’s home game against Kenya on Friday at Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane, as well as the away game in Cameroon four days later, which will be the final match of the campaign.
A source close to the player confirmed the news, explaining that Kadewere’s injury occurred during the match against Marseille, and he underwent a scan to assess the damage. The results indicated that he will be sidelined for at least four weeks.
The source said: “Tino has had a setback with this injury. Although he had hoped to recover in time for the qualifiers, the scan confirmed that he needs more time to fully heal. He’s disappointed, as he was eager to contribute to the team’s qualification campaign.”
The Warriors now face a crucial task ahead of their game against Kenya, as a win is necessary to secure qualification for next year’s AFCON finals. Currently, Cameroon leads Group J with 10 points, while Zimbabwe is in second with 8 points. Kenya and Namibia are trailing with 4 and 0 points, respectively.
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