The Zimbabwe Football Association was forced to issue an apology after Warriors forward Tino Kadewere attacked a female journalist at Orlando Stadium on Monday.
The 29-year-old who plays for Greek Super League side Aris FC confronted Mangunda at Orlando Stadium in Soweto on Monday, just before Zimbabwe’s 1-0 defeat to Rwanda in a 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifier.
In a statement, ZIFA “strongly condemned any form of abuse towards the media,” taking full responsibility for the incident. They confirmed that Kadewere has since apologised to Mangunda, and a mutual understanding has been reached.
ZIFA also stated that the matter is being addressed through disciplinary processes by both the team management and the association.
As the journalists were performing media duties, covering the first 15 minutes of the Warriors’ training, Kadewere went berserk, hurling insults specifically at Yvonne Mangunda.
CHAOS IN CAMP: KADEWERE ATTACKS JOURNALIST
He charged at the reporter, poked her on the chest while accusing her of fanning hate against him on social media.
Interestingly, Kadewere and Mangunda hail from the same neighbourhood in the high-density suburb of Highfields in Harare.
“He said, ‘What you write on social media is not right, and now we have met in person.’ By the time this story broke out, he had already apologised,” Mangunda told FARPost. “Kadewere apologised in front of the coaches and the team manager. As someone who grew up in my hood, I understand him. There is no issue now. He apologised not only to me but to all the journalists.
“He said he was under pressure and didn’t want to conduct any interviews when he came. Just after the incident, he came to me and apologised, I didn’t hear any body-shaming, as being reported.”
UNDER PRESSURE TINO KADEWERE
Kadewere has featured in three of the Warriors’ seven games in this World Cup qualification campaign. However, he has yet to score or provide an assist, something that has irked Zimbabwe fans, who have turned against him.
In the last four years, Kadewere has been nomadic, having been loaned out by Lyon to Mallorca and Nantes, where he eventually moved permanently before moving to Greece.
The Warriors are already out of contention to qualify for the World Cup from Group C, which has Bafana Bafana as leaders. They are placed at the bottom of the table with just four points and 13 points fewer than Hugo Broos’ men after eight games.
RELATED STORY: Marumo Gallants assessing highly-tipped Zimbabwean striker
