Tembo, Mapeza, Pasuwa opt out of the race
THE trio of former Zimbabwe internationals Kaitano Tembo, Norman Mapeza, and Kalisto Pasuwa, who were among the locals touted to throw their hats into the ring for the Warriors job, have opted out of contention.
Sources said the three coaches had not submitted their applications at the close of the deadline on Sunday.
This was after the Normalisation
ZIFA Committee had flighted a fresh advertisement last week in the hunt for the senior men’s football team coach ahead of the upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
FIFA
Tembo was one of the favourites with the local supporters eager to see new brooms from the crop of Zimbabwean coaches taking over the reins. The 53-year-old, however, has never presided over national team football.
Previously, Tembo had hinted his desire to coach the Warriors but it was not clear why he stepped back this time. Tembo is currently based in South Africa where he has coached teams such as SuperSport, Sekhukhune and Richards Bay.
Pasuwa has long made his frustrations with known and, despite calls from the
ZIFA supporters, has decided against returning to the Warriors’ dugout.
He is currently concentrating on his club duties with Malawian giants Nyasa Big Bullets with whom he has won the previous five league titles.
Mapeza, who was the last coach to lead the Warriors during the recent Four Nations Tournament in Malawi, albeit on an interim basis, has also opted to stand on the sidelines following the social media storm that followed the tournament.
Although he had earlier availed himself to continue with the team, the coach’s camp felt he was subjected to unjustified attacks from cartels that are wrestling for the control of the national team from ZIFA.
Zimbabwe are set to host Lesotho at Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg on June 7 and then travel to Bloemfontein to face hosts South Africa at Free State Stadium a few days later.
After the World Cup assignments, the Warriors are also expected to partake in the
Cup, a key regional competition that
COSAFA has been used to give mostly local players the platform to stake a claim in places for the regular national team.
Another former Zimbabwe international George Mbwando has since indicated he was not applying for the job, despite showing interest earlier.
The new coach is expected to be announced in the coming weeks. But there is now a worrying danger that the incoming coach might not take responsibility for the team selection and results of the matches in the World Cup qualifiers.
This is because by the time the coach agrees on a deal with ZIFA, player call-ups should have long been completed with release letters sent to their various clubs at home and aboard.
After the World Cup assignments, the Warriors are also expected to partake in the
Cup, a key regional competition that
COSAFA has been used to give mostly local players the platform to stake a claim in places for the regular national team.
Should settle for a foreign coach,
ZIFA he will also need more time to adapt and understand the culture of the Zimbabwean game and that might not be possible in less than a month the gaffer would have assumed office.
could also face a selection dilemma
ZIFA if as happened in September last year when they advertised for the post, more than 100 applicants submitted their CVs for the job.