Online Reporter
Langton Nyakwenda
Zimpapers Sports Hub
SWEET talking new Warriors coach Marian ‘Super Mario’ Marinica has swaggered into Harare with a smile, a warning and a suitcase full of surprises. And he didn’t waste any time shaking the table.
Moments before announcing a massive 51 man provisional squad for the Africa Cup of Nations, the Romanian stunned the room with a line straight out of Forrest Gump.
“Life is like a box of chocolates, you never know what you’re gonna get,” he said. Translation? No one is safe. No one has a guaranteed seat on the plane to Morocco.
Marinica was unveiled in the capital yesterday, although he has already taken charge of two friendlies. He was beaten 3-1 by Algeria in Saudi Arabia but the Warriors then shocked Qatar 2-1 in Doha, snapping a whole year without a win and breaking a suffocating 360-minute goal drought.
Not that his first days were smooth. Whispers of revolt swirled in camp before the Algeria match as some players complained about his tough approach. Things calmed down before the Qatar game and the team produced one of their sharpest shifts in years.
Still, Super Mario insists he wanted this job because it offers something special.
“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 believes the country is bursting with talent. And he keeps talking about speed.
“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.”
He has already achieved something Zimbabwe have never done. Marinica took Malawi to the AFCON knockout stages in 2022, a place the Warriors have never reached.
“It’s an interesting mix of players and I am 100 percent sure results will eventually come. But you have the material,” he said.
Super Mario wants unity across the nation and has even roped in Premier Soccer League coaches to help shape the squad. “Soon after I was appointed, I had a conversation with the ZIFA president and the PSL chairman. I wanted to have an 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,” he said.
That move produced 36 local hopefuls who will go into camp in early December.
“Some of the foreign based players might also join the camp. The door is open, no places are guaranteed. All the players have a genuine chance of making it. Then we trim to 23 and try and make history. Everyone starts with a clean sheet,” Marinica said.
