Online Reporter
Tadious Manyepo
Zimpapers Sports Hub
MARIAN “MARIO” MARINICA has put in place a meticulous plan to ensure the Warriors get the most out of the little time left before they fly for the Africa Cup of Nations finals in Morocco.
The AFCON fiesta runs from December 21 to January 18.
Marinica is only two weeks into his Warriors coaching job after replacing Michael Nees.
He has already won hearts after leading Zimbabwe into a stunning 2-1 victory over Qatar in an international friendly in Doha on Monday despite getting a baptism of fire in his first game in charge when losing 1-3 to Algeria in another friendly outing in Saudi Arabia last week.
He knows Zimbabweans are keen to finally see their Warriors advance beyond the group stages at the AFCON finals after five failed attempts.
And his eagerness is already telling after requesting two training camps with the squad before leaving for North Africa for the biennial tournament.
Initially, Marinica wanted the local band of Warriors, including first timers, to gather for a four-day period between November 24-28 before a second camp from December 1-5.
But with the Premier Soccer League season only ending this weekend and the Chibuku Super Cup final coming next week, his wish couldn’t be possible.
But the Romanian gaffer will still be able to conduct those camps afterwards.
Marinica said: “We had planned to start two camps in Harare, one of which would have been from 24-28 November and the other one December 1-5.
“But by the look of it, we may not be able to do the one from 24-28 November for some logistical reasons, but also we know that normally you have to give to the players some time and also to the club, normally you have to give them, I think, seven days.
“So I think we don’t have time now, because everything went a little bit slow; we arrived late and everything else.
“I think more realistically it will be the camp between December 1-5,which actually is going to be for local players.
“After that, we’ll probably have another camp. We haven’t decided yet, we are still discussing, to see where that camp would be held. Actually, it’s going to be a mixture of local players and foreign players.”
The former Malawi and Liberia gaffer has since made it clear that the door is still wide open for players who would have impressed him. He has since, with the blessings of ZIFA, put in place a technical review committee consisting Joey Antipas, Joel Lu-phahla and Tonderai Ndiraya who, on top of giving feedback to Marinica on the performance of the Warriors, are also there to recommend local players who carry the ingredients of national team material.
“We want to have as many players with potential as we can. Everyone will get a chance and we see what they have to offer. What’s important is for every player to carry the name of the country in their hearts and deliver.
“We are going to work very hard and we also want the players to work very hard. The AFCON finals need us to prepare in detail. I have talked to a lot of players and I have given them feedback on what I expect.
