News / Local
Zifa moves closer to appointing Warriors coach
20 Sep 2023 at 01:40hrs | Views
The Zifa normalization committee has moved closer to appointing coaches for the Warriors and Mighty Warriors following the commencement of interviews for the positions.
Additional candidates will be interviewed today as the normalization committee aims to conclude the process by tomorrow, considering that time is running out for the teams to begin preparations for their upcoming assignments.
The women's national team will participate in the Cosafa Cup, while the men have the African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifiers and the FIFA World Cup qualifiers, set to start in November.
Lincoln Mutasa, chairperson of the Normalization Committee, confirmed that interviews have started, with discussions held with several candidates. He stated that the process is ongoing and that negotiations with clubs may be necessary for some candidates.
Zifa had received numerous coaching applications after advertising positions for junior national teams (men and women) and senior national teams.
Mutasa mentioned the possibility of offering the new coach a one-year contract that aligns with the Normalization Committee's tenure.
The Warriors have been without a coach since Norman Mapeza led them to the Africa Cup of Nations finals in 2021. Zimbabwe was later banned by FIFA over government interference, and the suspension was lifted this year, leading to the appointment of a normalization committee.
The Warriors face challenging World Cup qualifiers in November, including matches against Rwanda and Nigeria in their group. Zimbabwe is in the same group as Nigeria, South Africa, Benin, Rwanda, and Lesotho, with only the top team automatically qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
As the next FIFA international window is in the next month, the new coach will have limited time to assess the players before the World Cup qualifiers, unless friendly matches are arranged during that period.
The new coach's initial task will be guiding the locally-based Warriors in the CHAN tournament qualifiers against yet-to-be-named opponents.
Additional candidates will be interviewed today as the normalization committee aims to conclude the process by tomorrow, considering that time is running out for the teams to begin preparations for their upcoming assignments.
The women's national team will participate in the Cosafa Cup, while the men have the African Nations Championship (CHAN) qualifiers and the FIFA World Cup qualifiers, set to start in November.
Lincoln Mutasa, chairperson of the Normalization Committee, confirmed that interviews have started, with discussions held with several candidates. He stated that the process is ongoing and that negotiations with clubs may be necessary for some candidates.
Zifa had received numerous coaching applications after advertising positions for junior national teams (men and women) and senior national teams.
The Warriors have been without a coach since Norman Mapeza led them to the Africa Cup of Nations finals in 2021. Zimbabwe was later banned by FIFA over government interference, and the suspension was lifted this year, leading to the appointment of a normalization committee.
The Warriors face challenging World Cup qualifiers in November, including matches against Rwanda and Nigeria in their group. Zimbabwe is in the same group as Nigeria, South Africa, Benin, Rwanda, and Lesotho, with only the top team automatically qualifying for the 2026 World Cup.
As the next FIFA international window is in the next month, the new coach will have limited time to assess the players before the World Cup qualifiers, unless friendly matches are arranged during that period.
The new coach's initial task will be guiding the locally-based Warriors in the CHAN tournament qualifiers against yet-to-be-named opponents.
Source - newsday
