The ManicaPost
Ray Bande Senior Sports Reporter
ZIFA are expected to soon name coach Calisto Pasuwa’s successor and legendary former Warrior’s player Moses ‘Bambo’ Chunga believes the past track record of the senior men football national team tilts the scale in favour of local coaches ahead of their foreign counterparts.
Zimbabwe are set to open their Afcon 2019 account with a game against Liberia to be played during the weekend of June 15-13 this year with the rest in 2018 and the Warriors will end campaign with a home tie against Congo.
However, it is the raging debate on the next Warriors’ coach that has taken centre stage given its bearing on the country’s chances on another Afcon dance in 2019.
The country’s football mother body severed ties with Pasuwa soon after the Africa Cup of Nations group stage elimination in Gabon and his contract effectively came to an end this week.
Pasuwa’s exit came at the behest of the Zifa High Performance Committee in the wake of group stage elimination at the just ended Africa Cup of Nations in Gabon, which the committee felt represented a monumental failure on the part of the four time Castle Lager Premiership title winning gaffer.
To date, the pressure to name his successor mounts with each passing day given that it is only three months before the next crucial assignment.
Our sister paper, The Herald reported this week that ZIFA, who have always expressed a deep admiration for the former Motor Action coach Joey Antipas, are targeting him to replace Pasuwa as Warriors coach.
However, there are reports that Zifa are also of the opinion that a foreign coach would do better in the capacity of Warriors’ head coach.
But Chunga believes the past track record of the senior men football national team tilts the scale in favour of local coaches ahead of their foreign counterparts.
Chunga, who is member of the Zifa High Performance Committee, vehemently denied any interests in the Warrior’s job saying it is a deathbed of a coaching career.
“I think I have to state from the onset that I am not interested in that job even if I were to be offered it.
“To me it is some form of retrenchment. It is the deathbed of a coaching career. That is something I would consider after having been satisfied with club coaching. At the moment my mind is concentrating on the things I am working on and that has nothing to do with angling for the national team coaching job.
“Having said that, I think the national team track record speaks for itself when it comes to who we should be choosing as our next national team coach. Choosing a coach has all to do with what you want to achieve as a club or as a nation.
“We have qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations for three times and in all those years we had a local coach leading the Warriors therefore common sense dictates that we should have a local coach. They have the knowledge of our players and our environment,” said the Scuz leader.
However, Zifa vice president Omega Sibanda said they were yet to start hunting for Pasuwa’s successor.
“The ZIFA executive is yet to meet over the national team. But we hope it will meet as soon as possible. I am sure by Thursday (yesterday) I will be in a position to give you something,” he said.
Sources at Zifa who spoke to The Herald said ZIFA is also targeting Ngezi Platinum coach Tonderai Ndiraya as Antipas’ assistant with Highlanders legend Peter “Captain Oxo” Nkomo coming in as the goalkeepers’ coach.
However, another source claims Zifa were still pursuing the route of hiring a foreign coach.
Meanwhile, Pasuwa this week reportedly met with Zifa president Philip Chiyangwa and handed over the keys of the car donated by Wicknell Chivayo.
Chiyangwa also promised to look into the issue of his outstanding dues.
Zifa are also battling to recover another Toyota vehicle which was being used by Mighty Warriors gaffer Shadreck Mlauzi who is holding on to the car insisting the football association owe him his dues.
