Is Sunday Chidzambwa set for a return as the overall boss of the Warriors? Events on the ground seem to be pointing to that direction after Mhofu, as he is affectionately known was handed the task of steering the Warriors to the finals of the 2018 Championship of African Nations (Chan) following his Cosafa Castle Cup success.
insidesport with MICHAEL KARIATI
Although Chidzambwa said he was not interested in the Warriors job, the fact remains that every coach wants to be part of the Warriors technical team, including Zifa High Performance Committee members —Beki Nyoni and Gibson Homela.
Chidzambwa is not likely to turn down the offer should he be offered a role in the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) set up.
His recent appointment as the Warriors coach for Chan has sent tongues wagging within the football fraternity, with speculation rife that Mhofu was likely to return as the Warriors coach for the 2019 Afcon journey.
The question is: What will happen after the Chan finals’ qualification? What will Chidzambwa’s reward be this time for leading the country to the Chan finals? Will Zifa just throw him out with the 2019 Afcon qualifiers just around the corner?
Since Philip Chiyangwa was elected Zifa president in December 2015, national coach appointments have been influenced by the coach’s popularity within football lovers as evidenced by the contract extension of Kalisto Pasuwa and the re-appointment of Norman Mapeza, Moses Chunga and Chidzambwa.
It is a system that Zifa is unlikely to abandon as the coaches they have entrusted with handling the Warriors — Pasuwa, Mapeza and Chidzambwa — have all succeeded.
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Football analyst Jacob Rice points out; “To remain relevant, Zifa have been appointing coaches on the basis of their popularity with the masses. The coaches have not disappointed them and Zifa are becoming popular by each passing day. For as long as they want to stay in office, they will continue with that proven appointment system.”
With Chidzambwa’s popularity rising even higher, it would be folly to expect Zifa to sever ties with the former Warriors captain. What would even be more interesting is to see where Chidzambwa will stand after Chan as there is no way he is going to fail against southern African football lightweights like Namibia and Lesotho.
The question is: Will football authorities go the same route they took on Rahman Gumbo, to sacrifice Mapeza by making Chidzambwa the Warriors coach. Or will they opt for a system where Mapeza would remain the coach and Chidzambwa comes in as the technical adviser?
“I foresee Chidzambwa in the Warriors technical team for Afcon 2019. I am not sure in what capacity, but he will definitely be on the bench,” said Rice.
However, having two bosses has failed to work in the past as evidenced by the 2012 experience when Mapeza and Madinda Ndlovu were appointed Warriors coaches with equal powers. The results were disastrous as the Warriors failed to qualify in an “easy” group that included Liberia, Mali and Cape Verde. Mapeza and Ndlovu could not agree on tactics.
Not forgetting the circus of 1995 when the Leo Mugabe-led Zifa board appointed Reinhard Fabisch, Rudi Gutendorf and Gibson Homela as national team coaches although they had different titles. This could not work as infighting turned into a daily comedy on who was the boss in charge of selecting the team.
Zimbabweans were made to believe that Chidzambwa would be in charge of the Warriors for the Cosafa Castle Cup only and that Rahman Gumbo would take over as the Chan team coach, but that was changed and Chidzambwa is now in control.
Zimbabweans were also made to believe that Mapeza would be in charge of the Afcon squad until after the 2019 qualifiers and probably the finals, but there is also no guarantee — after the Chan turnaround — that the Mapeza story will stick.
However, the ball is in Zifa’s court and whatever decision they are going to make with regards to the coaching of the Warriors, the ultimate goal would be to see the Warriors qualify for the 2019 Afcon finals in Cameroon, and probably go beyond the first round.
Rhinos in the driving seat
The 2017 Castle Lager Premier Soccer League programme has gone on mid-season break with Black Rhinos’ Chipembere at the summit of the table.
What a half-a-season it has been with the lead changing hands among such small teams as Rhinos, Yadah and Ngezi Platinum Stars, and at times Chicken Inn and Dynamos taking over the lead — albeit briefly.
With seven games in hand over the leading teams, defending champions CAPS United have not been really tested this season due to their CAF Champions League commitments, but to say they will collect maximum points to overhaul their 18 points deficit behind Rhinos would be expecting too much from the Green Machine.
Although it would be refreshing to see the title go to the rural areas of Mhondoro-Ngezi with Ngezi Platinum Stars or to KG 6 Barracks with Black Rhinos, with the way things are going, Dynamos look like the potential 2017 Zimbabwe soccer champions.
It will not be easy to bring DeMbare down from the top should they get the three points from their abandoned game against Chapungu. However, in football anything is possible that even Chapungu or Shabanie could win the 2017 league championship.
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