Under fire Zimbabwe Warriors forward Tino Kadewere has revealed he won’t be bothered by his critics who are questioning his inclusion in the national team set up for the upcoming World Cup qualifiers in South Africa.
Kadewere is part of the 23-man squad that was named by Warriors interim coach Jairos Tapera to do duty against Lesotho on Friday and South Africa next week Tuesday on the 11th of June.
It is Kadewere’s inclusion in the squad that has set tongues wagging amongst the Warriors faithfuls, in fact, his availability has divided opinion.
A section of fans, analysts and even the media, believe the French based forward didn’t deserve a call up.
They argue he has been having a series of ‘under-performances’ in national team colours following his goal drought.
Kadewere has only found the net three times in over 20 appearances for the Zimbabwe national team.
His conversion rate is worrying the country’s football family, resulting in his criticism, although he says he will remain adamant to “serve the nation” and won’t “pay attention to or be swayed by any pseudo-activists”.
“I’m a professional footballer, I don’t pay much attention to what people say (about me). Whether they criticise or hype me, to me, it doesn’t matter.
“What matters to me is to do my job, which is to serve the country. That’s the most important thing to me, serving the nation with utmost dedication.
“So I won’t be swayed by any pseudo-activists,” Kadewere told Zimpapers.
Instead, he implored “Zimbabweans living in South Africa to turn up in their numbers and rally behind us at Orlando Stadium on Friday” when the Warriors host the Crocodiles of Lesotho.
Speaking on the importance of the two upcoming crucial games against Lesotho on Friday and South Africa next week Tuesday, Kadewere said “both matches are equally important”.
Meanwhile, following his recent criticism, last Friday, a frustrated Kadewere hinted on his retirement from international football.
This was after he posted a picture of himself wearing the Warriors jersey captioned “the last dance”.
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