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Langton Nyakwenda
THE next Warriors coach will not have the privilege of choosing his own squad as he will work with a pool of players selected by a technical committee, Zimpapers Sport has learnt.
ZIFA are yet to announce the new coach and have gone quiet since Norman Mapeza took charge during a four-nation friendly tournament held in Malawi in March.
And time is now running out for ZIFA, who flighted an advert for the national team job on Tuesday.
Since it is a requirement for national associations to send invitation letters to foreign clubs, at least two weeks before a match, it looks likely that the next Warriors coach will not be appointed in time to select his own troops.
Zimbabwe will play two World Cup qualifiers next month.
The Warriors will “host” Lesotho at Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg on June 7 before facing South Africa at Free State on June 11.
ZIFA Normalisation Committee chairman, Lincoln Mutasa, yesterday dropped a big hint on how the next Warriors squad will be selected.
“The technical committee is working on that aspect, so that when the coach comes in there is already a structure of players he can work with,” said Mutasa.
ZIFA technical director, Jethro Hunidzarira, leads this technical committee but he was not available for comment yesterday.
It seems ZIFA have developed a habit of choosing players for national team coaches.
Mapeza was appointed interim Warriors coach on March 12, just six days before the national team travelled to Malawi for the four-nations tournament.
It turned out Mapeza did not have any input in the selection of players, who played in Malawi.
And now the next Warriors coach will also miss the opportunity to select his own set of players.
A number of names, including former SuperSport United and Richards Bay coach Kaitano Tembo, George Mbwando and ex-Warriors gaffer, Charles Mhlauri, are being linked with the top job.
Online Reporter