Online Reporter
Langton Nyakwenda, Zimpapers Sports Hub
USING a famous line from the 1994 classic Forrest Gump, new Warriors coach Marian Marinica set the tone for the long road to Morocco by warning the nation to expect “surprises” as he shapes his Africa Cup of Nations squad.
Moments before unveiling a 51-man provisional list yesterday, Marinica reminded his players that no one has earned a ticket to the finals yet.
“Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get,” the Romanian said — a clear hint that reputations will not protect anyone.
The quote speaks to the uncertainty surrounding the Warriors project.
Marinica, popularly known as Super Mario, was appointed on November 5 and officially unveiled in Harare yesterday after already taking charge of two friendlies.
His tenure began with a 1-3 loss to Algeria in Saudi Arabia, followed by an impressive 2-1 win over Qatar in Doha during the last Fifa window.
His start was far from smooth. Reports of tension in camp surfaced before the Algeria match, with some players unhappy about what they viewed as his heavy-handed approach.
The mood stabilised before the Qatar outing, and the Warriors produced one of their best performances in recent years.
That victory ended a year-long winless run and broke a 360-minute goal drought.
Marinica still chose to apply for the job because he believes the Warriors project offers something rare.
“This is an opportunity to spearhead such an important project. It’s a massive project — we have to bring people together and make Zimbabwe great in football,” he said.
He has watched only two local Premier Soccer League matches so far but insists the country has the talent to compete.
“I have a mammoth task; it’s not easy, but with the support of everyone maybe we will get there — maybe quicker. I have a philosophy which is fast, very fast: think fast, act fast, move fast, get organised.
“I would like to ask everyone from all corners of Zimbabwe to be patient as we go towards a very difficult tournament. Let’s focus on this project, which we think we can do well,” said Marinica.
He knows the expectations. Zimbabwe has never reached the Afcon knockout stages, yet Marinica achieved that feat with Malawi at the 2022 tournament in Cameroon.
“It’s an interesting project — you have very talented players, some who play abroad and some local. It’s an interesting mix and I am 100 percent sure results will eventually come.
“For any coach, it’s more than challenging to take up this type of project, bring people together and probably achieve what has not been achieved before. But you have the material,” he said.
Unity will be central to his plan, and he has already tried to bring local coaches into the process.
“Soon after I was appointed I had a conversation with the Zifa president and the PSL chairman. We wanted to find out how possible it was to identify local players. I wanted to have input from the PSL coaches, but it was difficult getting all the 18 coaches.
“So, we came up with an idea that these coaches choose three representatives. They also recommend two players each — those they thought can be national team material.
“We ended up having 36 local players, very good. We look to see at the players who could help us come up with a good team for Afcon.”
The selected group of local players will camp for a week in early December.
“Some of the foreign-based players might also join the camp. The door is open, no places are guaranteed — we want to have something on merit.
“All the players have a genuine chance of making it.
“Then we go on to trim the squad to 23 players, who will represent us at Afcon and try and make history for the country. Everyone starts with a clean sheet,” said Marinica.
