adminFormer Zifa boss Vincent Pamire and first vice-president Ndumiso Gumede confirmed this in separate interviews yesterday.
That was the country’s inaugural appearance at the event after finishing as best runners-up in the qualifiers in 2003. In the same year the team won the regional Cosafa Senior Challenge.
Pamire was Zifa boss then having taken over from Leo Mugabe. His reasoning was that the nation needed a coach who had been to that level of competition.
He was one of the two coaches that the national association had earmarked to either work with Sunday Chidzambwa who was the substantive coach or to take over.
Keshi’s bid collapsed after Pamire lost the chairman’s post to Rafik Khan in November 2003. The new order stuck to Chidzambwa and his team of locals.
In an interview yesterday, Pamire said his executive was impressed by Keshi’s good curriculum vitae which included winning the Afcon tournament in 1994.
Taking a man who had been exposed at that level and was a medal winner would have been a great confidence booster.
“We wanted Keshi, he had forwarded his papers to us and we were impressed by the fact that he had previously won the tournament with Nigeria. His papers came with high recommendations and that was before he went on to coach Togo.
“We were convinced he was the man who would help us at the finals in 2004 as he had the experience.You needed a man who had been to the Afcon or World Cup finals to guide you at that level of competition. He was going to be an asset because he knew what was expected.
“So when I lost despite the files being there for continuity’s sake, they never followed up the issue and we went with Chidzambwa to Tunisia,” said Pamire.
Pamire disclosed that he had agreed with Chidzambwa to have Clive Barker, the 1996 Afcon Cup winning coach of South Africa, assisting him.
“Chidzambwa had no problems with Barker being part of his technical team at the Tunisia finals. In actual fact I flew to Durban to meet Barker over the issue but the issue was left hanging when I lost in the Zifa elections.
“Barker as a winner had experience and would have played a pivotal role in our first finals appearance,” said Pamire.
The former Zifa and Zimbabwe Saints administrator congratulated Keshi for doing Sub Saharan Africa good by winning the tournament held in South Africa which ended on Sunday with the Super Eagles winning 1-0 over Burkina Faso.
Gumede, who was the administration and development manager, then confirmed that Keshi was once on Zifa’s radar.
Former national team coach Clemens Westerhof had made the recommendations.
“Yes we came close to having him on board after he had been recommended by a departing Westerhof and there were renewed efforts when Vincent Pamire was in charge,” said Gumede yesterday.
Online Reporter