Matabeleland_football_team
The Matabeleland football team is the team representing Matabeleland, the western part of Zimbabwe. They are not affiliated with FIFA or CAF, and therefore cannot compete for the FIFA World Cup or the Africa Cup of Nations.[1][2][3] The team is affiliated to the Confederation of Independent Football Associations (ConIFA).
| Nickname(s) | Ingqungqulu | |
|---|---|---|
| Association | Matabeleland Football Confederacy | |
| Confederation | ConIFA World Unity Football Alliance | |
| Head coach | Giuseppe Cristaldi | |
| Captain | Praise Ndlovu | |
| Most caps | Khulekani Maziwa Oscar George (24) | |
| Top scorer | Sawusani Mudimba Mduduzi Mpofu (13) | |
| Home stadium | Various Stadiums | |
| ||
| First international | ||
 Padania 6–1 Matabeleland  (Sutton, United Kingdom; 31 May 2018) | ||
| Biggest win | ||
 Tuvalu 1–3 Matabeleland (Haringey, United Kingdom; 3 June 2018) | ||
| Biggest defeat | ||
| Padania 6–1 Matabeleland (Sutton, United Kingdom; 31 May 2018) | ||
| ConIFA World Football Cup | ||
| Appearances | 1 (first in 2018) | |
| Best result | 13th, 2018 | |
The Team is run by Matabeleland Football Confederacy which was founded in 2016.[4][5][6][7][8][9] The Matabeleland Football Confederacy is administered by the Save Matabeleland Coalition.[10] Matabeleland Football Confederacy is an independent football association promoting football in Matabeleland. The Confederacy is open to all clubs and soccer associations in Matabeleland provided they subscribe to the Constitution of MFC. Its objectives being development through sport, Soccer for human rights Community Development. Career grooming and exposure. International Representation. The Confederacy was founded in 2016 by Busani Sibindi who is its President. The Technical Director who is also a Co-founder is Busani Khanye.
The team were originally scheduled to play their first official friendly against Darfur on 10 December 2017, however travel problems led to the game being cancelled. Nevertheless, because of results in unofficial games against club sides, Matabeleland still gathered enough points to qualify for the 2018 ConIFA World Football Cup in London.
In 2022, Matabeleland entered the CONIFA African Cup, drawing 1-1 to Yoruba Nation and beating eventual winners Biafra FC 1-0. They lost the final game 1-0 to Biafra to get 2nd place in the competition.
Matabeleland have played in the 2018 ConIFA World Football Cup qualification. Matabeleland participated in its maiden major Tournament,[11] the CONIFA World Football Cup to be held in London from 31 May to 10 June 2018. As part of the promotion for the tournament, sponsors Paddy Power launched a competition to design the kit Matabeleland will wear during the competition.[12] With English coach Justin Walley at the helm, it was previously announced that former Liverpool great Bruce Grobbelaar would work as goalkeeping coach while Halifax Town and current Zimbabwe international Cliff Moyo would appear for the side. However, when the final squad was announced, Moyo did not appear.
At the tournament, Matabeleland experienced a testing first game, losing 6–1 to Padania, while Thabiso Ndlela scored their first competitive goal. A final game victory over Tuvalu delivered a record 3–1 win with Shylock Ndlovu scoring a brace, pitting them against Algerian region Kabylia in the first placement round. Despite a strong performance, the Matabeleland side fell 4–3 on penalties. However, boosted by the appearance of Zimbabwean legend Bruce Grobbelaar, two 1–0 victories followed against Chagos Islands (replacing the expelled Ellan Vannin) and Tamil Eelam as the African team eventually finished 13th in the overall tournament rankings.
At the end of the tournament, English coach Justin Walley stepped down as manager, while the MFC announced the formation of a women's team[13] and participation in the 2018 Human Rights Cup.[14]
Matabeleland competed in 2022 CONIFA African Cup. They drew their first game against Yoruba Nation, drawing 1-1. They beat Biafra FF 1-0 to qualify for the final, where they played Biafra FF again. They lost 1-0 and finished 2nd in CONIFA African Cup
At CONIFA World Football Cup
| Year | Position | P | W | D | L | GF | GA |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ConIFA World Football Cup | |||||||
 2014 | Not a CONIFA Member | ||||||
 2016 | did not qualify | ||||||
 2018 | 13th | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 12 |
| Total | 5 | 2 | 1 | 2 | 5 | 12 | |
CONIFA African Cup
2nd - 2022
The following players were called up to the 2018 ConIFA World Football Cup. Caps and goals correct as of 30 May 2018.
Note: While ConIFA accepts unofficial games as caps, Matabeleland's first officially recognised game was 31 May 2018 against Padania.
| No. | Pos. | Player | Date of birth (age) | Caps | Goals | Club |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 1GK | Thandazani Mdlongwa | (1988-01-08) 8 January 1988 (age 36) | 18 | 0 |  Victory United |
| 29 | 1GK | Notice Dube | (1988-11-26) 26 November 1988 (age 35) | 7 | 0 | Makomo FC |
| 13 | 1GK | Bruce Sithole | (1991-04-07) 7 April 1991 (age 33) | 1 | 0 | Unattached |
| 96 | 1GK | Bruce Grobbelaar | (1957-10-06) 6 October 1957 (age 66) | 1 | 0 | Retired |
| 4 | 2DF | Khulekani Maziwa | (1988-09-15) 15 September 1988 (age 35) | 24 | 7 | Unattached |
| 12 | 2DF | Sipho Mlalazi | (1991-09-14) 14 September 1991 (age 32) | 20 | 9 | Unattached |
| 14 | 2DF | Praise Ndlovu (captain) | (1993-07-12) 12 July 1993 (age 30) | 20 | 0 | Unattached |
| 6 | 2DF | Mthulisi Mbizo | (1994-09-24) 24 September 1994 (age 29) | 17 | 1 | Lupane State |
| 2 | 2DF | Michael Sibindi | (1992-09-13) 13 September 1992 (age 31) | 9 | 0 | Unattached |
| 15 | 2DF | Mthulusi Dube | (1995-09-08) 8 September 1995 (age 28) | 3 | 0 | Unattached |
| 10 | 3MF | Oscar George | (1996-01-07) 7 January 1996 (age 28) | 24 | 6 | Unattached |
| 7 | 3MF | Andisiwe Sibindi | (1986-06-14) 14 June 1986 (age 37) | 19 | 1 | Unattached |
| 17 | 3MF | Thomas Nkomo | (1989-09-25) 25 September 1989 (age 34) | 18 | 5 | Unattached |
| 3 | 3MF | Bekithemba Moyo | (1987-04-25) 25 April 1987 (age 36) | 16 | 11 | Unattached |
| 8 | 3MF | Sawusani Mudimba | (1997-05-12) 12 May 1997 (age 26) | 10 | 13 | FMSA Umguza |
| 11 | 3MF | Romeo Sibanda | (1990-04-01) 1 April 1990 (age 34) | 4 | 0 | Unattached |
| 5 | 3MF | Godwin Ndlovu | (1988-12-11) 11 December 1988 (age 35) | 3 | 0 | Unattached |
| 16 | 3MF | Musa Sthamburi | (1996-11-28) 28 November 1996 (age 27) | |||
| 22 | 4FW | Mduduzi Mpofu | (1996-09-30) 30 September 1996 (age 27) | 23 | 13 | Victory United |
| 21 | 4FW | Professor Tshuma | (1990-04-27) 27 April 1990 (age 33) | 23 | 10 | Unattached |
| 18 | 4FW | Shylock Ndlovu | (1990-03-08) 8 March 1990 (age 34) | 10 | 8 | Unattached |
| 19 | 4FW | Thabiso Ndlela | (1996-09-10) 10 September 1996 (age 27) | 8 | 7 | Unattached |
| 20 | 4FW | Dumenkosini Ndlovu | (1996-08-01) 1 August 1996 (age 27) | 7 | 3 | CIWU |
- "Matabeleland". CONIFA. Retrieved 2017-09-17.
- eDuzeNet. "Matebeleland National Football Team seeks a Nickname - uMthwakazi Review". www.umthwakazireview.com.
- eDuzeNet. "Approval of Matabeleland Football Confederacy into CONIFA". Bulawayo24 News.
- "Matabeleland Football Odyssey Wins Hearts Ahead of Russia 2018". voazimbabwe.com.
- "Ebbw Vale: match between Wales and Zimbabwe team". nehandaradio.com.
- "At This World Cup, Players Risk Imprisonment to Compete". okayafrica.com.
- "SAVE MATABELELAND COALITION". www.savematabelelandcoalition.org. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
- eDuzeNet. "Matabeleland gears up for the World Football Cup". Bulawayo24 News. Retrieved 2017-12-19.
- Cup, Human Rights (21 September 2018). "The women's football team of #Matabeleland in #Zimbabwe are preparing for their first International #football games at the @HumanRightsCup which will take place in Johannesburg #SouthAfrica to promote @UNHumanRights Day. @MatabelFootball @QueenLozikeyiAc #InternationalDayOfPeacepic.twitter.com/vbm5UqlTCH". twitter.com. Retrieved 28 January 2019.
- Cup, Human Rights (23 September 2018). "After participating at the CONIFA World Cup in London, @MatabelFootball is planning their next international #football game at the @HumanRightsCup in #Johannesburg. Team #Matabeleland from #Zimbabwe will send an important message of hope, peace, and #humanrights. @SavMatabelelandpic.twitter.com/koE9YN2eLW". twitter.com. Retrieved 28 January 2019.