adminSikhumbuzo Moyo Acting Sports Editor
SINCE the appointment of former Black Rhinos and Dynamos striker Ian “Dibango” Gorowa as the Zimbabwe Warriors’ head coach, the team is yet to lose a match, friendly or competitive.Of course some critics will say the opposition has really been nothing to write home about, save for the 2010 African Nations Cup winners Zambia who the Warriors dumped out of the local version of the Nations Cup, the African Nations Championship.
It is against the so called minnows in football that confidence is built in the side as they will acquire that winning mentality. The Warriors are currently in camp for the Chan tournament in South Africa next year and their preparations were earlier this week boosted by the clinching of a technical sponsor in the form of Umbro, who will kit the team during bi-annual showpiece.
Before getting into camp, Zimbabwe had an international friendly match against Mozambique who they beat 2-1 at Barbourfields Stadium through goals from Dynamos’ Simba Sithole and FC Platinum’s Ali Sadiki.
The Warriors’ switch to Emagumeni was welcomed by many soccer followers in this part of the country as it had been long since the national team played here.
We had earlier on been told that coach Gorowa had expressed his reservations about the National Sports and Rufaro Stadiums and told Zifa that Barbourfields Stadium was lekker for him.
Zifa obliged. We also know that the Umbro kit deal was clinched by Gorowa, the coach and not only that, Gorowa became the first coach ever to use his own cash to pay for the team’s food at a Harare hotel this week.
Very noble of Gorowa to do that for the boys lest morale in camp nose dives. We are also told that coach Gorowa told Zifa that members of his technical team and the players would only talk to the media on Tuesday and Thursday only, not on any other day. Again Zifa obliged.
There is really nothing wrong with Gorowa assuming administrative duties whenever he feels like but eyebrows are already being raised in certain sections and indeed by observers.
Speculation is rife that the bald headed coach could be eyeing more than the Chan gold medals and trophy next year. Growing among observers is belief that perhaps, just maybe, Gorowa wants to go for the biggest football post in the country, the Zifa presidency.
He probably wants to follow in the footsteps of the greatest Zambian player of all time, Kalusha Bwalya, popularly known as King Kalu, a man who rose from being a player at club level, national team before taking charge of the Chipolopolo national team. He had a short stint there before he was elected the new Football Association of Zambia president.
That’s the route, observers say, Gorowa wants to take which is his constitutional right anyway. If he stands, as it looks highly likely that he will, Gorowa will come face to face with a man many feel is a ruthless campaigner, the current Zifa president Cuthbert Dube.
It will be employee versus employer! Those in the Highlanders family will be familiar with that scenario, where an employee has the guts to stand against his employer.
In 2004, then Highlanders and Warriors manager Ernest Maphepha Sibanda stood up and won against then Bosso chairman and his boss Kennedy Ndebele for the chairmanship position in one of the bloodiest and longest Highlanders elections in a long time.
But that can not be said for the national football elections and the nation awaits for the 2014 plebiscite that would more interesting at the top. At the moment, Dube is the only candidate that has confirmed but expectations are high that fireband Harare City chairman, Leslie Gwindi, who challenged and lost to Dube in 2010, will throw his hat once more, setting the stage for the duel again unless ofcourse speculation of a grand entry into the football politics by Gorowa prove to be true.
Gorowa’s biggest triumph though, will be if he delivers the Chan Trophy to 53 Livingstone Avenue on January 2, 2014!
Online Reporter