Football fans in the country reacted with cheers to Luton Town’s 1-0 win over Reading in the Championship.

With that crucial win, Luton booked a place in the Championship playoffs, a chance for them to get promoted to the Premier League.

Luton is home to Warriors striker Admiral Muskwe.

Zimbabweans are licking their lips at the possibility of having three players in the most-watched league in the world after Jordan Zemura’s Bournemouth got the automatic promotion to the English top-flight.

Aston Villa’s Marvellous Nakamba is currently the only local player in the Premier League.

Sadly though, all those developments might not in any way benefit the Zimbabwe national team.

The Warriors’ participation in the Afcon 2023 qualifiers is hanging by a thread, as the deadline given by CAF to have the ban imposed on Zimbabwe, is fast approaching.

FIFA suspended Zimbabwe from all international football for ‘third-party’ interference, after the country’s sports regulatory body, the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC), suspended the Felton Kamambo-led Zifa board for several violations, chief among them failure to account for public funds.

CAF gave Zimbabwe a lifeline and included the Warriors in the Afcon 2023 draw, on the condition that the suspension is lifted two weeks before Match Day One.

Zimbabwe are in Group K, alongside Morocco, South Africa and Liberia but no indications point to the suspension being lifted.

When the Zifa congress met in the capital two weeks ago and unanimously voted for the revocation of Kamambo- they told the nation that they would write to the SRC and inform the Gerald Mlotswa-led board of the outcome of the indaba.

The SRC has to lift the suspension on Zifa first before FIFA can be convinced to lift their suspension, which they repeatedly said would be the case upon the reinstatement of Kamambo.

Is the Afcon dream fading away?