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Grace Chingoma Senior Sports Reporter
ZIFA are likely to go for a foreign coach for the Warriors, amid revelations that the association are looking for a cost-effective option.
There was little interest from local coaches for the job, but the national team dressing room is likely to have a local coach influence amid revelations that ZIFA is likely to pick two local assistant coaches.
Ordinarily, a coach is expected to choose his lieutenants but with ZIFA set to appoint only a foreign coach, working with a tight budget, the local coaches will have to come from the local pool.
It is believed the association will pick Joey Antipas as one of the assistants as they seek continuity.
One of Antipas’s assistants last year when he was the interim coach, Lloyd Chitembwe, is also likely to be retained in the new set-up.
A new Warriors coach is expected to be announced soon after ZIFA technical development committee sat and came up with recommendations and a short-list at the weekend.
The ZIFA board will work with the recommendations to come up with the coach who will take over the hot seat.
The association have committed to appointing a foreign coach but believe with Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers resuming in March, the foreign coach will have a short time to work with the players hence would need a strong assistant coach who will work closely with the expatriate coach.
Sources close to ZIFA said the association are not panicking after CAF moved the qualifiers following the shift of AFCON dates to start in January.
“We have a national team that is known already and the foreign coach will be appointed soon. He will also be assisted by local coaches. It’s not like if he is employed today he is going to travel through the world to0 assess our players. There are no resources for that and you don’t want to start building a new team against the African champions Algeria,” said the sources.
Antipas, Leicester City International Academy coach Alistair Heath, Serbian Milutin Sredojevic, former Highlanders coach Elroy Akbay and Antipas are some of the coaches that are believed to have made the short-list.
Online Reporter