A wave of fresh air blew across the Zimbabwean football landscape on Thursday as news filtered that Rahman Gumbo had finally relinquished his post as Warriors coach.
Final Whistle with Michael Madyira
Some fans could not hide their joy as they celebrated the resignation of a man they felt had overstayed his welcome in Zimbabwe’s ultimate football job.
Although many feel Gumbo’s resignation should have come immediately after the Luanda catastrophe, one cannot help commending “Rush” for being gentleman enough and step down.
This is a man who had been mandated — for the second time in his coaching career — to lead our national team, but his second appointment was debatable.
Widely known for questionable tactics, there is no doubt Gumbo had played an instrumental role in further plunging our national game into the doldrums as we became minnows in African football. Statistics speak for themselves and can be rude in portraying the grim reality that now characterises our game.
In four Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers that Gumbo had been in charge of, the Warriors scrapped two wins and lost others, including against little Burundi.
Our World Cup campaign is in shambles, “boasting” of a home defeat to Guinea and an away draw in Mozambique.
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But the man held onto his position, wounding our game as we became accustomed to defeats and almost forgot how to celebrate.
Gumbo’s continued stay at the Warriors hot seat had further portrayed the Zifa board as a bunch of clowns only succeeding in making a mockery of our game and taking a football-crazy nation for granted.
Now that Gumbo is gone and that we failed to qualify for Afcon 2013, to be staged just right next door in South Africa, the million dollar question is: Who should be the next coach to succeed Gumbo? The Zifa board needs to take their time and consult widely before hiring the rightful man who can transform our national team into an indomitable force in African football.
No need for an impulse decision for us to avoid a repeat of the 2010 Madinda-Mapeza-Saintfeit monkeyshines.
Zifa should take the whole of December considering the next coach and then announce the new man early January, to afford him ample time to prepare for the World Cup qualifiers that resume in March with a tough away tie against Egypt.
The new mentor should also be supported with relevant resources and international friendlies against competitive sides starting with the February 6 international friendly day.
Without taking anything away from our humble locals, a foreign gaffer is most ideal to save our situation as recommended by the Zifa high-performance technical committee.
It should not be a case of hiring a foreigner just for the sake that he comes from a foreign land or hails from a country known for its football exploits, like what we did on Valinhos, Rudi Gutendorf or Ben Koufie.
It is imperative that we hire a tried and tested coach who is familiar with the rough African football terrain.
Since hiring a national team coach is a national cause and an open process where nothing needs to be hidden from the public, Zifa need to publicise a shortlist of coaches they want to select from. It would be a noble thing as sports writers would have a chance to deeply research and present the credentials of each of the shortlisted coach for public scrutiny.
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