Sports / Soccer
Bafana Bafana job for Gorowa?
04 Feb 2014 at 08:04hrs | Views
ZIFA'S failure to tie Warriors coach Ian Gorowa to a long-term contract could return to haunt them amid revelations that the South African Football Association are considering an audacious bid to lure the former Zimbabwe international for the Bafana Bafana job.
Gorowa's stock has risen dramatically after the former Moroka Swallows and Mamelodi Sundowns coach guided the Warriors to a fourth-place finish at the African Nations Championships which ended in Cape Town on Saturday.
The Chronicle reported that Gorowa has caught the eye of the Safa bosses, under pressure to breathe fresh air into their misfiring team, who have begun head-hunting for a new Bafana Bafana coach ahead of the expiry of incumbent Gordon Igesund's contract in June.
Although Safa officials could not be reached for comment, sources close to the goings-on at Safa House in Johannesburg revealed that Gorowa's name had been thrown into the hat.
Former Manchester United assistant coach Carlos Quieroz, who coached Bafana between 2000 and 2002, is also one of the coaches being considered.
Quieroz is currently the coach of Iran and will lead them in Brazil at the World Cup finals.
He has been with Iran since 2011 and helped them qualify for the World Cup and the 2015 Asian Cup.
Marcel Desailly, a retired Ghanaian-born French footballer and star of the France team that won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000, has also been linked with the Bafana Bafana job when it falls vacant.
Safa are under pressure to find a coach who can turn around the Bafana Bafana fortunes and ensure they do not wait to qualify for a major tournament only when they are the hosts.
Gorowa has also reportedly attracted the interest of his former club Ajax Cape Town.
The Urban Warriors are without a substantive mentor following the sudden departure for personal reasons of Turkish gaffer Muhsin Ertugral and with Gorowa having played for and coached the club, the Ajax Cape Town bosses are understood to have inquired on his status with the Zimbabwe senior team.
Zifa could not seal a long term contract with Gorowa largely because the association does not have the financial resources to meet the demands of any top coach.
In fact Gorowa who is expected to hold a review meeting with the soccer mother body before the start of the Nations Cup qualifiers, has since his appointment in July last year had his salary paid by Zifa president Cuthbert Dube.
Gorowa refused to comment much on the interest shown by Safa and neither could he be drawn into discussing his Warriors future.
"I cannot comment on the Bafana Bafana issue. They still have a coach there so I cannot speak about it. I will talk to Zifa when I return with the team, I am happy so far with the way I have worked for my country with limited resources and the target now should be to qualify for the Nations Cup and I believe we have laid a strong platform for that," Gorowa said.
Should Gorowa decide to wave goodbye to the Warriors job he will walk away without the kind of hassles that were faced by some of his predecessors such as Madinda Ndlovu, Norman Mapeza, Tom Saintfiet , Rahman Gumbo and Sunday Chidzambwa who clashed with Zifa over outstanding contractual obligations.
This is because Gorowa has virtually been working on a "gentleman's agreement to serve his nation".
Gorowa's stock has risen dramatically after the former Moroka Swallows and Mamelodi Sundowns coach guided the Warriors to a fourth-place finish at the African Nations Championships which ended in Cape Town on Saturday.
The Chronicle reported that Gorowa has caught the eye of the Safa bosses, under pressure to breathe fresh air into their misfiring team, who have begun head-hunting for a new Bafana Bafana coach ahead of the expiry of incumbent Gordon Igesund's contract in June.
Although Safa officials could not be reached for comment, sources close to the goings-on at Safa House in Johannesburg revealed that Gorowa's name had been thrown into the hat.
Former Manchester United assistant coach Carlos Quieroz, who coached Bafana between 2000 and 2002, is also one of the coaches being considered.
Quieroz is currently the coach of Iran and will lead them in Brazil at the World Cup finals.
He has been with Iran since 2011 and helped them qualify for the World Cup and the 2015 Asian Cup.
Marcel Desailly, a retired Ghanaian-born French footballer and star of the France team that won the 1998 World Cup and Euro 2000, has also been linked with the Bafana Bafana job when it falls vacant.
Safa are under pressure to find a coach who can turn around the Bafana Bafana fortunes and ensure they do not wait to qualify for a major tournament only when they are the hosts.
Gorowa has also reportedly attracted the interest of his former club Ajax Cape Town.
The Urban Warriors are without a substantive mentor following the sudden departure for personal reasons of Turkish gaffer Muhsin Ertugral and with Gorowa having played for and coached the club, the Ajax Cape Town bosses are understood to have inquired on his status with the Zimbabwe senior team.
Zifa could not seal a long term contract with Gorowa largely because the association does not have the financial resources to meet the demands of any top coach.
In fact Gorowa who is expected to hold a review meeting with the soccer mother body before the start of the Nations Cup qualifiers, has since his appointment in July last year had his salary paid by Zifa president Cuthbert Dube.
Gorowa refused to comment much on the interest shown by Safa and neither could he be drawn into discussing his Warriors future.
"I cannot comment on the Bafana Bafana issue. They still have a coach there so I cannot speak about it. I will talk to Zifa when I return with the team, I am happy so far with the way I have worked for my country with limited resources and the target now should be to qualify for the Nations Cup and I believe we have laid a strong platform for that," Gorowa said.
Should Gorowa decide to wave goodbye to the Warriors job he will walk away without the kind of hassles that were faced by some of his predecessors such as Madinda Ndlovu, Norman Mapeza, Tom Saintfiet , Rahman Gumbo and Sunday Chidzambwa who clashed with Zifa over outstanding contractual obligations.
This is because Gorowa has virtually been working on a "gentleman's agreement to serve his nation".
Source - chroncile
