Zifa and Warriors have reportedly reached a payment deadlock, and the association wants the team to withdraw from the 2019 Afcon tournament.

According to the Chronicle, the national team players are demanding to be paid US$12 500 each by today or else they would not train for their final Group A against DRC on Sunday.

A meeting was held last night and Zifa could not agree on the demands, and a decision was made to send the players home before the end of the team’s campaign.

Zifa had promised to give US$2 500 and US$3 000 from the fundraising committee to each player.

And after the match against Uganda, another US$5 000 appearance fees and US$3 000 bonuses for managing a draw in the encounter was to be paid ahead of the match against the DRC.

However, things deteriorated sharply during the night and the Warriors ended demanding their entire dues by today.

The Zifa officials were then left with no option, and they sent spokesman Xolisani Gwesela to check with Caf the cost of withdrawing from the tournament.

The newspaper says a number of players confirmed they had told the Zifa officials they were ready to abandon camp and fly back home.

“We were called in and told of the developments about the possible withdrawal from the tournament, and we told them that we were ready to go home because we believe they haven’t fulfilled our contracts,” one of the players said.

Should the plans to withdraw from the tournament go ahead, Zimbabwe will be facing a possibility of being banned from a number of Afcon finals, in what would be a huge blow to the next generation of its footballers.