Veteran goalkeeper Elvis Chipezeze has once again paid the price for his costly mistakes at Zimbabwe national team level and has been dropped from the Warriors provisional squad for next month’s back-to-back 2027 AFCON qualifiers against Equatorial Guinea.

Chipezeze was in the spotlight during the last round of the qualifiers after conceding goals that were deemed suspicious, as Zimbabwe won 3-2 away to Sierra Leone and then lost 2-1 at home to the Democratic Republic of Congo at the National Sports Stadium in Harare.

The veteran goalkeeper, who carved a niche for himself in the PSL during his time at Baroka FC and now at Magesi FC, has struggled to convince Zimbabweans that he is fit to be the Warriors’ number one.

In 2019, Chipezeze drew massive criticism after conceding four goals in one match against DR Congo at the AFCON finals in Egypt, three of which were howlers. That performance saw him sidelined from the national team for five years.

He recently bounced back into the Warriors set-up under former coaches Michael Nees and Marian Marinica and was trusted by Ramon Catala as first-choice goalkeeper for the recent qualifiers against Sierra Leone and DR Congo in the absence of Washington Arubi.

However, the mistakes he made in both matches have once again cost him his place in the national team. On Tuesday, Zimbabwe announced the provisional squad for the back-to-back qualifiers against Equatorial Guinea and Chipezeze is one of the notable omissions, with Future Sibanda replacing him as one of the goalkeepers.

DIVINE LUNGA AMONG NOTABLE ABSENTEES

The goalkeeping department now consists of three keepers: Martin Mapisa of Hardrock FC, Nelson Chadya of Scottland FC and Sibanda of ZPC Kariba.

In addition, Mamelodi Sundowns left-back Divine Lunga is one of the notable absentees from the squad. Lunga, a long-time first-choice left-back for Zimbabwe, is missing from the provisional squad for reasons yet to be disclosed. Lunga has made 30 appearances for Zimbabwe across all competitions. He was replaced by Tinotenda Muringai of Hardrock FC.

The list also includes a number of Betway Premiership stars, among them Junior Zindoga of TS Galaxy, Thandolwenkosi Ngwenya of AmaZulu, Marumo Gallants forward Daniel Msendami and Golden Arrows midfielder Jonah Fabisch.