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The Warriors will face the Palancas Negras at home on September 9 with the return leg pencilled in for Luanda on the weekend of October 12-14 with the winner joining hosts South Africa and 14 other teams at the 29th edition of the African Cup of Nations in January next year.
According to reports from Angola the 53-year-old Ferrin has agreed a two-year contract with the Angola Football Federation (FAF) to steer the affairs of the senior national team.
The Uruguayan’s first major assignment will be to ensure that the Palancas Negras overcome the Warriors challenge and secure their passage to the Nations Cup finals.
He has also been tasked with steering the Palancas Negras ship during the remainder of their 2014 World Cup qualifiers.
Ferrin replaces Lito Vidigal who parted ways with FAF following a dismal performance by the Palancas Negras at the 2012 Orange Africa Cup of Nations held in Gabon and Equatorial Guinea.
Romeu Filemon was in charge on an interim basis and supervised two matches in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers against Liberia and Uganda.
The new trainer will take over the team for the first time in an international friendly against Mozambique on August 15. Ferrin has previously worked in his native Uruguay and Peru, handling youth teams.
Crucially, the steps that FAF have taken in appointing a substantive coach has heaped pressure on Zifa to follow the same route especially coming just a week after the Nations Cup hosts South Africa also showed how serious they are about their national side when they named veteran Gordon Igesund as the new Bafana Bafana coach.
Zifa chief executive Jonathan Mashingaidze last night acknowledged as much and said the appointment of a substantive coach will be one of the major issues to be tabled at their next board meeting before the end of the month.
“Naturally we are watching the developments taking place in Angola and even what has been happening in South Africa with regards their national teams and we believe too that what obtains in Angola, South Africa, France or anywhere has similarities with our situation . . . the way to go with every national team is to have a full time coach,’’ Mashingaidze said.
Former FC Platinum coach Rahman Gumbo continues to take charge of the Warriors on a caretaker basis and the Zifa leadership is expected to review his performance in the four Nations Cup and World Cup qualifiers he has presided over to date.
Gumbo could not earlier commit himself to the Zifa job on a full-time basis at the time he took over the Warriors dressing room as he was still attached to FC
Platinum but the former Highlanders, Telkom Wanderers and Mochudi Centre Chiefs coach looks set to throw his name into the hat for that substantive Warriors post.
Mashingaidze said the board would at their indaba also table Gumbo’s report but the Zifa chief executive said his association could not move with the speed they would have wanted to appoint their coach because of lack of financial resources.
“The technical team are putting together their report which will be the basis of discussion on the Warriors and a review of their situation by the board. We want to avoid the issue of apportioning blame on the technical team or all the blame being heaped on the board and that is why we will comprehensively discuss the national team.
“We are also looking at the feeder national teams which is the Under-17, Under-20 and Under-23 so that we take a holistic approach to the winning strategy for the
senior team,’’ Mashingaidze said.
Zifa are saddled with huge debts amounting to US$3 million and Mashingaidze said the liability had literally hamstrung their operations and delayed their moves to name a substantantive national coach.
But the Zifa chief executive insisted they were working on having their coach in place in time for the showdown with the Angolans in Harare.
“Without coming up with a specific calendar date I would say as soon as possible we would have resolved the issue of the national coach so that we do not have problems in terms of accountability for results.
“So the developments in Angola and in South Africa point to the need for us to also have a full time coach for the Warriors and maybe part time assistants and it is
also something that our corporate world can ride on and help that person who would have been appointed to carry out his football espionage missions within and outside the country.
“The way forward is to unbundle the national team but that can only be done with the support of the corporate world whereby they take care of the team’s major expenses while the coaches can also exploit the Diaspora playing resources that we have.
“But that can only happen if the coach gets a chance to go to England for instance where there are many Zimbabweans and where we have some of the talented players playing college football.
“There is also need to have provincial coaches who would be key in identifying talent across the country because at times it’s hard to judge a player after just one match but these provincial coaches would have seen and worked with the youngsters over a period and can recommend who exactly is a genuine article’’.
Zifa Mashingaidze said were also working on an ambitious plan to make use of a number of Zimbabwean coaches such as Kennedy Chihuri, George Mbwando, Eddie Mukahanana,, Max Lunga and Sobantu Sibanda who in the Diaspora and could unearth talent for use by the Under-23, Under-20 and the Warriors teams.
“If you look at most African countries, they are following up on their nationals who are in the Diaspora and that has helped widen their selection bases.
“We also have a number of good coaches that are in the Diaspora who can help in identifying talented Zimbabweans willing to play for their country but that needs to be co-ordinated by a substantive coach.
“We believe that it is high time that we should create a congenial environment for our talent at home and abroad so that they gel into one huge mantra that will help the country scale the football heights we are aiming for,’’ Mashingaidze said.
But for now Gumbo remains in charge and is expected to assemble a side that will take part in a four-nation tournament in Botswana on July 16-17.
Online Reporter