dyton mupawaenda
Eddie Chikamhi-Senior Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWE and Rwanda will be under the tutelage of new expatriate coaches when they face off in the opening match of the FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifiers in Kigali tomorrow.
The match is scheduled to kick-off at 3pm at Huye Stadium in Butare, a district southwest of the Rwandan capital Kigali.
Zimbabwe will play Nigeria at the same venue this Sunday as the “home” team since local stadiums have been banned by the Confederation of African Football.
The Warriors begin this World Cup campaign under Brazilian-born Baltemar Brito, who was appointed Warriors’ interim head coach in September, while the hosts Rwanda have German football manager Torsten Frank Spittler in their corner.
Spittler joined Amavubi some two weeks ago and will immediately be thrown into the deep end of the World Cup qualifiers.
Whilst much is not known about the two coaches, tomorrow’s clash is likely to put them on the spotlight in Group C, which also has South Africa, Benin, Lesotho and Nigeria.
Speaking to the Rwandese media recently, the 61-year-old, who is 10 years junior to Brito both in age and experience, started his job by avoiding promising his employers heaven on earth.
He acknowledged that Amavubi have a low chance of qualifying for the 2026 FIFA World Cup but insisted that his dream is to qualify the team, hence the need to win against Zimbabwe tomorrow despite the difference in rankings.
The Warriors are ranked 125th in the world while Rwanda are 140th.
“You have to have your dreams but you have to be realistic,” said Spittler.
“The chances to qualify will be very small, but I’m here to win matches. It has never happened before that the team with a 140th place on the FIFA ranking qualified for the World Cup.”
In less than two weeks, he had to assemble a competitive squad and prepare for the two home games against Zimbabwe tomorrow and South Africa next Tuesday.
“The time is very short; I will do my best for these two matches where the situation is very difficult. I saw them (players) for the first time on Sunday.
“There are a lot of difficulties coming together because of the shortage of time. They (players) are black, they have nearly the same hairstyle, they have black eyes, and I have a staff who are also all black, so it’s very difficult.”
But, according to the Rwandan media, Spittler has vowed to teach Amavubi players modern football and get rid of “kick and rush” football.
“There is talent in this team and it has to be developed. I’m here to win matches and to show the players that they can show not only kick and rush but also play modern football,” Spittler told a press conference.
The German football mentor started his career as a youth coach at 1860 Munich before becoming an assistant coach of his country’s Under-16 national team.
He has also coached national teams like Nepal and Bhutan and was technical director for Yemen, Sierra Leone and Mozambique, among his major postings.
“I am not someone with a famous name, I’m someone who has now worked 30 years in football development, and Rwanda is a team that needs development,” he said.
His opponent Brito, a former right-hand man of revered Portuguese coach Jose Mourinho, has had a longer experience in football management, stretching over 40 years.
He has coached mostly in Portugal where he led a host of lower division teams before teaming up with Mourinho at FC Porto in Portugal, Chelsea in England, and Inter Milan in Italy.
During that period as part of Mourinho’s backroom staff, he won two UEFA Champions League titles, one UEFA Cup, two English Premier League titles, as many Portuguese and Italian Championships, and one FA Cup.
He has also coached Al-Ashli Tripoli in Libya and worked as assistant coach at Esperance in Tunisia and AEK Athens in Portugal, before landing at Highlanders last year.
This is his first national team job and Brito believes he can deliver on his mandate to help Zimbabwe re-establish themselves in international football following the recent lifting of the FIFA ban.
“Let’s unite and rally behind the national team,” Brito told the ZIFA media.
“We are here to try to do our best. Everyone is here to do their best, so we expect the nation to give the best of support. We will try to create a good moment for them (fans).”
Online Reporter