ZIFA’S High Performance Committee (HPC) is set to revive its push for the appointment of a technical adviser, casting further doubt on the future of under-fire Warriors coach Kalisto Pasuwa, in the wake of Zimbabwe’s early exit from the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals in Gabon.
BY DANIEL NHAKANISO
If Zifa goes ahead with the appointment it would be tantamount to a demotion for the coach who calls the shots in the current set-up.
Pasuwa has come under a barrage of criticism over his team selection and tactics after the Warriors’ early exit from the continental showpiece in Gabon last week, with most local observers saying the former Dynamos coach was woefully exposed at the grand stage.
Former Warriors mentor Sunday Chidzambwa, who is also part of the Zifa High Performance Committee which is set to review Pasuwa’s performance in Gabon this week, suggested the Warriors gaffer needed an experienced foreign coach to guide him before taking over in the future.
Chidzambwa’s comments come amid strong indications that the HPC will consider the appointment of a technical adviser for the Warriors when it meets to assess the team’s performance at Afcon.
The HPC vice-chairperson, Gibson Homela last year also unsuccessfully lobbied for the appointment of a technical adviser to assist Pasuwa in the wake of the Warriors’ dismal performance at the African Nations Championships (Chan) finals in Rwanda.
Zifa vice-president Omega Sibanda, who also chairs the HPC, said they would only comment after receiving the coach’s report on the Afcon debacle.
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“We will be meeting in due course so I cannot say much at this stage. The Zifa executive first has to receive the reports of both the head of delegation to Gabon and the coach. Only after we have deliberated on the reports will we meet to map the way forward. At the moment Pasuwa is still employed by Zifa because he has a running contract, nothing has changed,” Sibanda said.
Pasuwa has in the past rejected attempts by the HPC to appoint a technical adviser prior to the Africa Cup of Nations and sources close to the Warriors coach disclosed he was set to turn down the move again.
The Warriors crashed out of the tournament in the group stages following a humiliating 4-2 defeat at the hands of Tunisia in their last group match last Monday to return home without a win, having earlier drawn 2-2 against Algeria in their opening match of the campaign before losing to Senegal 2-0 in their second match.
While there were reports that Pasuwa had resigned following the team’s loss to Tunisia last Monday, his manager Gibson Mahachi later dismissed the rumours, saying his client still had a year remaining on his two-year contract and had not tendered a resignation letter.
Mahachi told Standardsport in an interview yesterday that the ball was in Zifa’s court to either maintain or sever ties with his client after their deliberations.
“When we agreed on a two-year contract, it was on condition that it would be reviewed after one-year to review the targets they [Zifa] set for him for the first year. The main target was obviously to qualify for Afcon, but then again it’s in that review that they will decide whether to continue with him or part ways,” Mahachi said.
The uncertainty surrounding Pasuwa’s future comes after the Warriors were last month handed what appears a tough qualification draw for the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations tournament to be played in Cameroon.
Zimbabwe were thrown into Group G, together with the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC), Congo Brazzaville and Liberia with the qualification expected to start in June.
