Marshall Munetsi rails at Zimbabwe AFCON snub, says it is not about football | OneFootball

Zimbabwe will return to AFCON without vice-captain Marshall Munetsi after head coach Mario Marinica left the Wolves midfielder out. Munetsi says he feels betrayed.

Zimbabwe missed the 2023 finals due to a suspension for political interference and will play from 21 December 2025 to 18 January 2026. According to The Herald, the 29-year-old former Stade de Reims midfielder left his wife in hospital after a miscarriage to feature in qualifying and asked national doctors to assess him amid reports he was injured.

He also tried to persuade Marinica to include him. Munetsi maintained his club had not prohibited him from the group stage, only warned the opener might be risky, and said he was pain-free.

He suggested it was not about football any more, and that the national team did not want him. He pointed to Spain calling Lamine Yamal after Barcelona announced his injury, and said it was time to turn the page.

The report added that some at Wolves feel relegation is inevitable at present, with Wolverhampton bottom of the Premier League on two points, and would rather sell players in January and avoid risks.

Source: L'Équipe