Online Reporter
Petros Kausiyo
Zimpapers Sports Hub
ZIFA have opted to go for a seasoned coach, setting a benchmark of at least five years’ experience with top Confederation of African Football competitions for the next man, who will take charge of the Warriors.
The football association yesterday officially flighted the advertisement for the vacant Warriors job, outlining their expectations of the kind of person they expect to be Michael Nees’ successor in the senior team’s dressing room.
But for all their ambitions for a top-notch coach, ZIFA could be hard done by lack of funding to cater for the package of the man they wish for and would have to take their begging bowl to the Government to under-write the remuneration.
In a competitive market, where such nations as Nigeria, Uganda and Kenya rely on their governments for the coaches’ perks, ZIFA, without substantive corporate backing yet for the Warriors, may need to emulate the Super Eagles, the Cranes and the Harambee Stars.
In formally advertising for the post, ZIFA also extended to Thursday the deadline by which aspiring coaches can submit their applications, setting the stage for the new coach to assume duty early next week.
The adverts were posted on both the ZIFA and the FIFA websites.
ZIFA had earlier hoped to have completed the exercise by tomorrow, but it has since emerged that there has been an overwhelming response to the calls for applications with a host of coaches and some agents jostling for the job. The move by ZIFA to set out strict criteria for the kind of person they are looking for to guide the Warriors at the 2025 Nations Cup in Morocco in December, should also weed out some chancers from the shortlist which the association’s technical committee will eventually come up with.
“The Head Coach will lead, manage and develop the Zimbabwe National Men’s Team (“The Warriors”) to achieve competitive excellence in COSAFA, AFCON and FIFA competitions. The role includes team selection, tactical strategy, training and performance management, aligned with ZIFA’s National Football Development Strategy,’’ ZIFA said.
Speculation has also been rife among football fans in particular on the possible names ZIFA might gun for, but the domestic football mother body have kept a tight lid around the identity of their choice.
While ZIFA are keeping their cards close to the chest, those coaches whose names have been bandied around include Warriors’ legends Kaitano Tembo, Norman Mapeza, Bruce Grobbelaar and George Mbwando.
Egyptian and former Highlanders coach Mohamed Fathi is also among the names said to be interested in the Warriors job.
There are also some experienced coaches such as ex-Uganda, Rwanda and Zambia coach Milutin “Micho’’ Sredojević, who also had a successful stint with Sudanese giants Al Hilal and Orlando Pirates, Algerian Adel Amrouche (currently in charge of Rwanda and who has managed seven national teams, including Kenya, Libya, Burundi, Botswana, Yemen and Tanzania at the 2023 AFCON in Côte d’Ivoire, who have been heavily linked with the Warriors job.
Veteran German manager, Winfried Schafer, who is presently the technical director for the Ghana senior team, has also had his name thrown into the mix.
ZIFA have, however, chosen the route in which their technical and development committee will use in short-listing names to be interviewed. That exercise has to be done and fall in time for the new coach to take charge of next month’s high-profile international friendly matches between the Warriors and former African champions Algeria and 2022 World Cup hosts Qatar.
ZIFA also set out the key responsibilities for the incoming coach, which include:
Lead the planning and delivery of the national team’s technical and tactical programmes
Scout, identify and select players for national duty based on merit, performance and potential
Develop and implement a modern, data-driven, performance-based football philosophy
Supervise and mentor the technical staff (assistants, analysts, goalkeeper coach, medical)
Design and execute effective training programmes and match-day strategies
Collaborate with the ZIFA Technical Department to align with youth development and talent pathways
Ensure professional standards of discipline, integrity and sportsmanship at all-times
Submit periodic technical and performance reports to the ZIFA Technical & Development Committee.’’
However, it the demand for prospective candidates to prove their experience in coaching a national team or top-tier club in the various CAF competitions, which demonstrates the value that ZIFA are attaching to the Warriors brand.
ZIFA want the candidates to have:
Minimum of 5 years’ professional coaching experience at national team and/or top-tier club level.
Demonstrable experience in African competitions (AFCON, CAF Champions League/Confederation Cup, COSAFA).
Proven record of achieving results under pressure and managing national expectations.
Experience managing elite players and multi-disciplinary teams.
Skills & Competencies
Strong leadership and man-management, with success in multicultural environments
Advanced tactical knowledge and analytical ability
Excellent communication and media relations
High levels of professionalism, discipline and teamwork.”
Previously ZIFA have been blamed for allowing coaches to stay in the job even when results were not coming with such names like Zdravko Logarusic and lately Nees dragging on despite their poor performances.
However, ZIFA stressed yesterday that the remuneration for the incoming coach will be.
“A competitive, performance-based package commensurate with qualifications and experience.”
Amid the rumour mill, and names which have featured prominently in the discussions on different platforms there are also indications, based on their requirement for experience ZIFA could go for an arrangement similar to the late Reinhard Fabisch’s Dream Team era where they engage a seasoned gaffer for whom his assistants will understudy him.
During Fabisch’s reign, Sunday Chidzambwa and Roy Barreto were the German’s assistants with a mandate to understudy him for eventual takeover of the Warriors.
And indeed, both Chidzambwa who was Dynamos coach then and ex-Highlanders mentor Barreto took turns to preside over the Warriors.
Chidzambwa would go on to make history in 2004, becoming the first coach to guide the Warriors to the Nations Cup following their qualification for the tournament in Tunisa.
He also returned to the AFCON stage with the Warriors at the 2019 competition in Egypt.
Before calling time on his Warriors coaching career, Chidzambwa had also made history as the most successful coach in the COSAFA tournament winning four titles in 2003, 2009, 2017 and 2018.
