Chronicle Editor
IT is with great dismay and frustration to watch the Warriors continuously struggling under the poor leadership of the Zifa Normalisation Committee. The Normalisation Committee has done more harm than good and took preparations for the national team’s World Cup qualifier casually, consequently causing an embarrassing 2-0 defeat to Lesotho in Johannesburg yesterday.
The appointment of Jairos Tapera as interim head coach just a few days before the crucial World Cup qualifier was a major mistake by the Normalisation Committee. The lack of effort and attention to select a coach in advance has merely set the national team up for failure.
It is expected that a committee, whose sole responsibility is to improve the administration and regulation of football in the country, will take the national team’s preparation very seriously. Unfortunately, the reverse is the case, and the Warriors have borne the brunt of that incompetence.
The Warriors’ performance against Lesotho was characterised by a disjointed display of football, with the players lacking innovation, confidence and direction to win. Tapera, who had barely any time to train the squad assembled for him, failed to adequately prepare the team, and the result was a frustrating defeat, which casts doubt on our qualification for the World Cup.
Furthermore, the decision to appoint Tapera suggests that the Normalisation Committee failed to do its homework in making the crucial decision to appoint a coach. The committee seems more interested in the politics of football than the actual game itself, failing to realise that football administration is an expert-driven industry. Such a decision exposes the incompetence and unprofessionalism of the Normalisation Committee, which is a disservice to our football and a slap in the face to the players who work hard and train diligently.
It is even more disheartening to note that this is not the first disaster caused by the Normalisation Committee. The lack of support for grassroots football is a sad reality, which has now extended to the national team.
The Normalisation Committee must be held accountable for the lack of preparation and the shoddy performance of the Warriors, which resulted in the embarrassing defeat against Lesotho.
It is time for the committee to rise above politics and put the interest of Zimbabwe football first, by providing the necessary support to the national team, appointing competent coaches and ensuring that the sport thrives at all levels.
Failure to do so will continue to hurt the game, and Zimbabwe will not make any progress in football.
Online Reporter