HARARE – Zimbabwe national team captain Khama Billiat has retired from international football after the country’s abject 2022 World Cup qualification bid.
Zimbabwe were winless in six matches as Ghana emerged as Group G winners. The group also featured Ethiopia and South Africa.
The Kaizer Chiefs star, 31, said retiring from international football was the “heaviest decision” he has ever had to make.
“It was all a dream,” Billiat said in a statement on Monday. “When I was young, I always dreamt of representing the country, playing for the national team. The dream, which seemed far-fetched for a young Khama in Mufakose came when I least expected it. The first day I donned the Warriors badge, I vowed to enjoy myself and always lift the country’s spirits.”
Billiat, who was first drafted into the national team in 2011, said scoring for Zimbabwe at the Africa Cup of Nations finals was an experience never to forget and he would “forever cherish” the honour of playing for his country.
“However, every story, no matter how beautiful, has an ending,” he explained. “This is probably the heaviest decision I have ever had to take in my life but it is a decision I take with a patriotic heart.
“Like those who had to pave way for our generation of Warriors stars to emerge, I have decided to retire from international football. I believe it is now time for me to pave way for new talent to blossom and serve the country in the same way that I did, or even better.”
Billiat scored 14 goals in 42 international appearances for Zimbabwe.
Warriors defender Tendayi Darikwa, paying his tribute to Billiat, described him as “one of the best I’ve shared a football pitch with.”
Zimbabwe finished with just two points in World Cup qualification from their home draws with South Africa and Ethiopia. There have been demands for an overhaul of the ZIFA administration and national team by fans.
