It has been nine years since Rosemary Mugadza was appointed the women’s senior national soccer team coach having served an illustrious career as captain of the team and also that of the dominant league club New Orleans.
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In those nine years, it has been a case of so near and yet so far as the Mighty Warriors have come close to qualification only to miss out of the major events, save by invitation.
The final straw came last weekend when the Mighty Warriors missed out of the 2015 All Africa Games in Congo Brazzaville after failing to beat Ghana’s Black Queens when they needed only a 1-0 winning margin to sail through to the finals.
This also comes after the Mighty Warriors last year failed to make it to the finals of the African Women’s Championships after losing out to a Zambian side which we had always beaten in all competitions — be it friendlies, regional or continental contests.
The loss to Zambia’s Chipolopolo Queens was the bitterest pill to swallow as it was evidence enough to prove that the gap between the Mighty Warriors and weaker teams had narrowed, if not totally closed up.
In fact, it was evidence enough to those leading football in this country that there was now need for action as the Mighty Warriors had been overtaken by the teams we used to call weaker sides, even some no-hopers. In all the losses that have come by, the coach of the Mighty Warriors has been telling the nation that the Mighty Warriors have learnt “this and that” and the next time they would do “this and that” but in reality, the Mighty Warriors have actually been getting worse with each outing.
Last week, Mugadza was on television telling the nation that the Mighty Warriors would bounce back and make amends for their Africa Games loss when the 2016 Olympic Games begin. Oh come on, we have been told this before. The confidence that Mugadza exudes when talking about the games ahead, tells of a coach who is sure that she will have the job come the next day, irrespective of her team’s lack of results.
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What is even more disturbing is the fact that during the same period the Mighty Warriors have been going down the drain, the Warriors have changed more than six coaches — all fired for failing to take the team to the Africa Cup of Nations finals.
Yet on the other end, a blind eye has been turned to the Mighty Warriors’ failures, despite the fact that the women’s team has been on a drastic free fall.
The question is: Are the Mighty Warriors immune to changes in their coaching department? Statistics reveal that the Mighty Warriors have not qualified for the past four editions of the African Women’s Championships since Mugadza took charge of the team in 2006.
What is even more disturbing is the fact that Zifa or the Zimbabwe Women’s Football have not raised an issue on the performance of the Mighty Warriors, despite the team having failed to qualify for the 2008, 2010, 2012, and 2014 African Women’s Championships.
Yet five Warriors’ coaches — Brazilian Valinhos, Norman Ma-peza, Madinda Ndlovu, Rahman Gumbo, and Ian Gorowa — were all shown the exit for failing to take the Warriors to the Africa Cup of Nations finals.
The only title that Mugadza can show for her long stay with the Mighty Warriors is the little important 2009 Cosafa Senior Challenge Championship for which the Mighty Warriors had the advantage of winning while playing on home soil.
Last year, they were knocked out of the African Women’s Championships, and now they are out of the All Africa Games, and to think they will qualify for the Olympic Games would be too much of a dream.
Surely, with these developments, we would have expected one or two words to come from the association, or from women’s football leadership.
The truth, however, is that Mugadza has overstayed and it is now time for a new coach to take over the Zimbabwe senior women’s soccer team. Isn’t Kwinji 15 worth trying?
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