Munetsi’s AFCON saga: Zimbabwe FA responds to Wolves star

The dust is refusing to settle on the saga concerning the exclusion of Wolverhampton Wanderers midfielder Marshall Munetsi from Zimbabwe’s Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) squad.

Warriors coach Mario Marinica excluded the Premier League star from the squad for the tournament scheduled for Morocco from December 21 to January 18, 2026.

In a reaction, the former Orlando Pirates’ player took to his social media account to complain over his omission from the squad. He said while he was indeed injured, he was expected to recover in time for the continental tournament.

 

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What upset Munetsi about his exclusion from the AFCON squad

Munetsi said he was sad to learn that Marinica went ahead to release the final travelling party while disregarding the positive update Wolves had made over his recovery from the calf injury.

However, the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) has reacted to the midfielder’s claims. In a press release issued on Saturday, the association leapt to its own defence and that of Marinica.

“Following Mr Marshall Munetsi’s expressed willingness to represent Zimbabwe despite the injury, ZIFA formally requested a written letter of consent and a liability waiver from his club. This documentation is a critical prerequisite under the FIFA Club Protection, which governs compensation, insurance exposure, and liability management where professional players, particularly those carrying injuries, are released for international A matches,” the statement reads.

 

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ZIFA added that Wolves did not issue the requested waiver, and Munetsi was duly informed of this development before the coach named the squad.

“ZIFA reiterates unequivocally that Mr Marshall Munetsi’s non-selection was purely medical, procedural, and regulatory, guided by player welfare imperatives, CAF competition rules, and the FIFA Club Protection Programme, without malice, bias, or administrative impropriety.”

The Warriors star suffered the calf injury last week during a Premier League match against Nottingham Forest. He was also not part of the Wolves’ squad that lost 4-1 to Manchester United on Monday.

Meanwhile, Zimbabwe will also be without Udinese FC defender Jordan Zemura through injury while former Kaizer Chiefs star Khama Billiat did not even earn selection into the provisional squad. They begin play in Group B on December 22 against Egypt.