'A great honour' - Sheffield Wednesday midfielder Sean Fusire clears up 'confusion' over international call-up
Sheffield Wednesday midfielder, Sean Fusire, says that it is a ‘great honour’ to be called up by Zimbabwe, and explained the ‘confusion’ over this month’s camp.
Fusire, who made his Warriors debut back in June, was called up by Michael Nees for this month’s World Cup qualifiers against Benin and Rwanda, but it was revealed in recent days that he had been replaced by Reading’s Tivonge Rushesha due to ‘financial demands which the implications the association could not fulfill’.
The 20-year-old midfield man, who is now a fully-fledged member of Henrik Pedersen’s first team at Hillsborough, was still managing his fitness after an injury when he last turned out for his country, and he has explained now that he made no ‘financial demands’, only expressed a desire to make sure that he was able to turn out for his club and country without any concerns over his condition arising.
In a statement released this week, he said, “Firstly, I would like to sincerely apologise to my coach, Michael Nees, to the team, and most importantly to our fans for the confusion around my attendance to this current camp which unfortunately I will no longer be a part of... This is disappointing for me personally as well as a player. At the same time as a professional, I acknowledge my part in the confusion that has taken place, this is not how I desired for things to unravel.
Sean Fusire is proud to represent Zimbabwe
“I confirm that I have no issues at all with ZIFA, the team, or the country. I am very proud to be Zimbabwean. Unfortunately, things did not progress as I had thought but all I had communicated to officials was an honest picture of what I thought at the time. After I had been informed of my selection for the camp and given flights, I simply inquired to officials about total travel duration which would have amounted in excess of 40+ hours.
“In my opinion and thinking about my previous injury history and the physical demand on my body due to being under cramped travel situations, I requested for an upgrade in flights. This request I made just to ensure that I am fully fit and ready for Abidjan, Johannesburg and also when I return to my club after the camp. I requested that my flights be upgraded to either business or at least economy premium. After this was declined I further requested that I do all flights economy except the last flight from South Africa back to the UK which is an 11-hour flight nonstop. Unfortunately, this was also declined.
“When I offered to put my owed allowances from the last camp towards an upgrade of the last flight, I was hoping for a response from the official I was communicating with but unfortunately there was no further communication and I am not sure as to why. At this stage I did not feel comfortable to travel without a resolution to the matter.
“Now, I want to extend my sincere apologies to Coach Michael Nees, the Team and our Fans for the inconvenience this has caused. It is indeed regrettable for me that things have gone this way but I thought I should clarify things in the wake of lots of misconstrued stories or falsehoods. I am happy and proud to play for the Warriors. As a player and also a Zimbabwean, I am disappointed to miss out on this occasion. I am sorry for what has happened this current camp.
“I just want to reiterate that I have no issue with the ZIFA and definitely my love for the country of Zimbabwe is forever in my heart. I also want to say that the decision not to travel wasn’t for financial implications or gain and I want to avoid any misconstrued stories as it was more of a logistical problem to ensure I would be fit for the upcoming international games and games back in England.
“Finally, I want to say that it is a great honour for me personally and also to my family to be called up for National Duty. I remain ready and honoured to be given another chance to play for Zimbabwe in the future.
“I simply thought I should clear the air and put the record right in the midst of all this media frenzy. I look forward to moving ahead in the future and the season ahead. I wish the boys every good luck and success in Ivory Coast and also in South Africa.”
Wednesday currently have two players out on senior international duty this month, with Bailey Cadamarteri over with Jamaica for the first time and Yan Valery teaming up with Tunisia once again. Pierce Charles also received a Northern Ireland call-up, but was withdrawn due to the shoulder surgery that he had to undergo, surgery that was a success.
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