Coach’s race against time

Tapera was thrust as coach of the Under-20 team after the Zifa board made sweeping changes to all the men’s technical departments.
Taurai Mangwiro, for whom Zifa had invested so much by sending him to a high level course in The Netherlands last year, was given the boot as Under-20 coach with the former Black Rhinos player taking over.
Tapera’s charges have been drawn to face neighbours Botswana in first leg set for the weekend of April 20-22 with Zimbabwe hosting the leg.
The reverse fixture will be played after two weeks in Botswana and the winners from this round will play Angola in the second stage.
Matches for the second leg have been set for July and if Zimbabwe sail past this round, they will meet either Egypt or Kenya for the last round.
Winners from the third stage will join hosts Algeria for the finals in 2013. And the journey to Algeria for Tapera begins today when he conducts trials in Gweru before moving to Mutare at Sakubva tomorrow.
Under-20 team manager Lloyd Chinawa said they were going to start from scratch to build up team.
“We have just been appointed as a technical team and now need to come up with a squad to play Botswana.
“As a starting point we have considered players who were in the last squad but found that most of them are now old. So in order to build up our team, we are going to start by holding trials in Gweru tomorrow (today).
“We then move to Sakubva on Sunday,” said Chinawa.
Chinawa, who is a former executive member of the now defunct Mutare side Highway, said they will also assess players in Zvishavane, Harare, Bulawayo, Masvingo and other towns.
“There is need to cast the net wider as we build this new look national team. At the moment there is no team to talk about but hopefully things will fall into place,” said Chinawa.
Tapera will be assisted by Gunners’ coach George Madira while former Blue Ribbon goalkeeper’s trainer Laban Kandi is also in the technical department.
The Under-20 team is the only Zimbabwe national team which has never to have qualified to a continental final.
The Under-17 have been to the African Youth Championships three times.