Joey Antipas takes coaching break

Innocent Kurira

Zimpapers Sports Hub

FORMER Chicken Inn head coach Joey Antipas has announced that he will be taking a sabbatical from touchline duties following his departure from the Gamecocks.

Antipas parted ways with the Simbisa Brands–bankrolled side after guiding them to a disappointing 12th-place finish in the 2025 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League season, prompting the club to overhaul its technical team.

The veteran coach who has been linked with several local clubs says he will be taking a break from the dugout.

Antipas said the decision to step away from coaching was motivated by the need to rest and recharge after many years in the game.

“I have been in the game for years now, continuously. I feel this is the right time for me to take a sabbatical and hopefully use this time to recharge and rest. This doesn’t mean this is the last time I will be coaching, but I just need to take a break and recharge my batteries,” said Antipas.

Despite the recent struggles, Antipas remains one of the most successful coaches in Zimbabwean football.

He led Chicken Inn to their first-ever Premier Soccer League title in 2015, a historic triumph that earned the club a place in the 2016 CAF Champions League. Their continental journey ended in the preliminary round against eventual champions Mamelodi Sundowns of South Africa.

Under Antipas, Chicken Inn also enjoyed notable cup success, winning the NetOne Charity Cup in 2013 and the Independence Cup in 2016, while finishing as runners-up in the Easy Call Cup final in 2015. During this period, the Gamecocks were widely regarded as one of the most dominant teams in the league.

Beyond their title-winning season, Chicken Inn consistently competed at the top end of the table, finishing second in the PSL in 2019 and the 2021/22 season, third in 2012 and 2018, and fourth in both 2016 and 2017. The club also tasted regional success after winning the 2020 Malawi Champions Engen Invitational Tournament.

Antipas’ coaching résumé also includes a league title with Motor Action in 2010 and stints with the Zimbabwe senior national team.

He previously left Chicken Inn in 2016 alongside assistant coach Prince Matore to join South Africa’s AmaZulu, before returning to the Bulawayo-based club in early 2018 following their departure from Usuthu in 2017.

Meanwhile, Chicken Inn have moved swiftly to appoint a new head coach, unveiling reigning Castle Lager Premier Soccer League Coach of the Year Tonderai Ndiraya on a three-year contract.

Ndiraya joins the Gamecocks from Scottland, whom he guided to a remarkable league title in their debut top-flight season.

Ndiraya will be assisted by Naison Muchekela as first assistant coach and Fortune Ncube as second assistant coach, with further backroom appointments expected to be announced soon.