Resist the temptation to demand immediate perfection from coaches

Local football has for too long been trapped in a cycle of short-term thinking, particularly at senior national team level, where the appointment of a new coach is often presented as the solution to problems that are much deeper than results on the pitch.

That is why Zifa’s four-year Dream 2030 programme deserves serious attention. The unveiling of Spanish coach Ramon Catala as Warriors head coach on Thursday should not be judged simply by whether he wins his first few matches.

 

More importantly, it should be assessed against whether he becomes part of a coherent system designed to develop Zimbabwean football beyond the next qualification campaign.

Zifa president Nqobile Magwizi was right to emphasise that the appointments represent more than a routine coaching exercise.

“We’re looking at a minimum of four years. It’s a project we are running with, and it’s not focusing on a competition. It’s not just focusing on the current Warriors team. It’s focusing on building a system,” he said.

That is precisely the mindset that our football needs.

The country has talented players, but talent alone cannot produce sustained international competitiveness. There must be a clear pathway from Under-17 to Under-20, Under-23 and ultimately the senior national team, with players exposed to compatible technical and tactical principles throughout their development.

As Magwizi put it: “A player moving from Under-17 to Under-20, or Under-20 to Under-23, should experience continuity rather than starting again every time.”

This is an important departure from the traditional approach in which each new coach arrives with his own philosophy, preferred players and tactical methods, only for the process to be discarded when results disappoint.

Catala himself appears to understand that the project requires both identity and results.

“We want to do a great job as the president said. We want to win games as well as to give stability and also the results,” he said.

His attacking philosophy, based on possession, intensity and pressing, is encouraging.

But we should resist the temptation to demand immediate perfection.

Building a playing identity takes time, particularly when the coach is working with players from different clubs, leagues and developmental backgrounds.

The immediate Afcon 2028 qualifiers against Sierra Leone and the Democratic Republic of Congo will inevitably test patience. Results count, but they should not become the sole measure of progress.

Zifa must therefore protect the four-year programme from the pressures that have historically undermined national-team projects.

A coach should not be hired with a long-term mandate and then dismissed after a handful of poor results.

Equally, the association must ensure that Dream 2030 indeed extends beyond the Warriors. Grassroots development, coach education, scouting, sports science, infrastructure, domestic competitions and youth football must all form part of the same ecosystem.

Catala commented: “We will try to dominate when we have the ball because that’s our philosophy and we think that’s the best way to be competitive.”

Our football needs precisely that kind of ambition.

However, ambition must now be matched by patience, investment and institutional discipline.

If Zifa can maintain the vision beyond individual coaches, competitions and election cycles, Dream 2030 could finally provide the foundation for a sustainable football revival.