Efforts to get Macauley Bonne and other foreign-born players local passports have suffered a major setback following the approval of new amendments on the Zimbabwe Citizenship Bill a few months ago.

According to New Zimbabwe, the approved changes on dual citizenship require Bonne to renounce his British citizenship first so that he can get a local passport.

The Leyton Orient striker recently submitted his application form for the passport at the Zimbabwean embassy in London with the hope he could be included in Warriors squad for the Africa Cup of Nations 2019.

Warriors team manager Wellington Mpandare has revealed to the news website that it is now unlikely to have Bonne for Afcon unless they get help from the government.

“It’s quite difficult now to have all those players who were not born here in Zimbabwe into Warriors set up. Recent changes to dual citizenship laws clearly stipulate that a person who was born outside Zimbabwe will have to renounce the other passport to get a Zimbabwean one,” Mpandare explained.

“Now it means that we need to start all over again and I don’t see anyone making it before the Africa Cup of Nations or we need help from senior government officials,” he added.

Zifa was in the process of trying to lure players with Zimbabwe roots such as Bonne, Andy Rinomhota, Reiss Nelson, Adam Chicksen, and Kundai Benyu among others.