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Grace Chingoma Senior Sports Reporter
DUTCH mentor Erol Akaby leads a list of foreign football coaches who have applied for the Warriors’ head coach’s job.
Akaby, German coach Michael Weiss and Spaniard mentor Manuel “Manolo” Márquez Roca are some of the European names that have emerged following the submission of application letters to ZIFA last week.
According to close sources, by Thursday no local coach had submitted his application letter for the Warriors job.
However, the local coaches were expected to beat the Friday deadline and submit their documents for the most prestigious post in the country’s football hierarchy.
Chicken Inn coach Joey Antipas was also expected to tender his application letter after he served as an interim coach for a few months this year.
ZIFA president Felton Kamambo has since indicated that Antipas, whose contract expires at the end of this month, is at an advantage since he has some results to show during his short tenure.
The association are also targeting former Uganda and Orlando Pirates gaffer, Milutin Sredojevic, popularly known as Micho.
Although the Serbian coach has not applied for the Warriors head coach job, his agent in Harare has submitted his CV for consideration by ZIFA.
Akbay was relieved of his duties at Ngezi Platinum in September having begun the season with the Mhondoro side. He previously had a spell with Highlanders in 2016, helping them to a third-place finish in the league.
The other applicant is 51-year old Spaniard coach Marquez Roca, who is a retired defender.
The coach has had stints in the Spanish lower division clubs such as UE Sant Andreu and Badalona. He briefly had a stint with a La Liga club UD Las Palmas Atletico.
The 54-year-old coach Hans Michael Weiss has promised ZIFA that his main objective is fully incorporate and integrate the diaspora players, who were either born outside or left the country at a tender age.
“I have worked from 2007 until 2011 with great success as Technical Director and Youth Head Coach (Under-20, U-17) in Rwanda before I brought the south East Asian country Phillipines from 190 in the FIFA ranking up to the 125 during my three years there.
“After that I worked in Burundi for Vital O and since 2017 now also with great success in Mongolia as national team coach and Under-23 head coach.
“The most exciting point in taking the Warriors job is the potential of bringing many of those young players of Zimbabwean heritage in Europe to their parents’ home and build a new exciting team.
“Through my worldwide contacts and network I feel I am perfectly fitting for this role to assemble all these players and in close and trustful cooperation with ZIFA build a strong national side for the years to come,” wrote Weiss.
ZIFA are set to appoint a new coach early next year.
Online Reporter