Zimbabwe football in flux: Coaching search raises concerns ahead of World Cup qualifiers

DISAPPOINTMENT ripples through Zimbabwe’s football fraternity as the Zifa Normalisation Committee (NC) reignites the coaching search. Announced earlier this week, the move comes a mere month before the crucial World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and South Africa.

The timing has raised eyebrows among football pundits, with many expressing concerns that the next Warriors coach is being set up for failure. Advertising the position just weeks before the qualifiers casts a shadow of uncertainty over team preparation.

According to reports reaching the Saturday Chronicle, the incoming coach will have limited control over squad selection. A technical committee will pre-select the players, further restricting the coach’s influence.

The move effectively shuts the door on Norman Mapeza, who led the team during the recent four-nation friendly tournament in Malawi. Baltemar Brito oversaw the two draws against Rwanda and Nigeria late last year and his contract wasn’t renewed.

Football analyst and coach, Sakheleni Nxumalo, believes the new coach faces a monumental challenge in achieving positive results for the Warriors under these circumstances.

“I feel they are setting up whoever is going to take over for failure because that person will have to come up with some miracle results. It will take some ingenuity for a new technical team to come up with a team that will play cohesively unless it’s led by someone who knows the local game and I wonder what Brito did wrong for him not to continue in the job because I thought he did quite well during the short spell that he was in charge,” said Nxumalo.

Veteran administrator Siphambaniso Dube says a substantive coach must be appointed.

“I think the leaders plan for themselves at the expense of the nation. Everyone who comes in wants to bring something new. There is no continuity whatsoever. I think we have to put a substantive coach, not this interim basis thing, because when players are introduced to different philosophies it becomes difficult.

“It will always work against us as a nation. If the NC is in charge, I think it can put a substantive coach. There is what we call handover-takeover. Whenever there are elections, they should hand over reins to the new leadership. What we need now as a country is continuity,” said Dube.

Veteran sports caster Muziwethu Hadebe slammed the NC’s decision as “poor planning” to appoint a new coach at this critical juncture.

“It does not make sense. It means we are not serious. When appointing a coach for the Malawi tournament we should have earmarked that coach for the World Cup qualifiers. We should have kept Brito, but then again on Brito, Zifa were riding on the Bosso work permit. It all points to poor planning,” said Hadebe.

The Warriors will play Lesotho and South Africa in the 2026 World Cup Qualifiers Group C games in Bloemfontein and Johannesburg.

Zimbabwe will host Lesotho in the first match at Orlando Stadium in Soweto on June 7.

The national team was forced to use a neutral venue for this game due to the unavailability of suitable stadia in the country. All local football grounds were condemned by Caf ahead of the start of the qualifiers last November.

The Warriors hosted Nigeria in Rwanda on Match Day 2 of the campaign. The second match against Bafana Bafana will be played at Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein on June 11. — @innocentskizoe