ZIFA technical adviser Klaus Dieter Pagels is tipped to take over as Warriors coach today.
Report by Fortune Mbele
Zifa, according to chief executive Jonathan Mashingaidze, are expected to announce the appointment as well as the names of players who were banned/fined over the match-fixing scandal now known as Asiagate.
The expected appointment of Pagels follows Rahman Gumbo’s resignation last week in the aftermath of the Warriors’ failure to qualify for the 2013 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) finals.
Sources told NewsDay Sport at the weekend that Pagels — who is part of the Zifa high-performance technical committee that recommended that the football the governing body appoint a foreign coach to spearhead the Brazil 2014 Fifa World Cup campaign which starts in March next year — is actually going to land the job himself.
One of the sources said Zifa are likely to retain legend Peter Ndlovu as assistant coach while roping in two-time Castle Lager championship-winning Dynamos coach Kalisto Pasuwa, who also won the Mbada Diamonds Cup again, to be the other assistant while Monomotapa goalkeepers coach Nkululeko Dhlamini will be in charge of the Warriors goal-minders.
“It’s Pagels. He is going to be appointed the next Warriors coach with Peter (Ndlovu) and Pasuwa as his assistants while Dhlamini becomes the goalkeepers coach,” the source said. Sharif Mussa is also set to return as national teams general manager.
The decision was taken at last Thursday’s Zifa board meeting and endorsed by the general assembly in Harare on Saturday.
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The German football expert has previously been linked to the Warriors hot seat since his arrival in 2010, but has been engaged as Zifa technical adviser on a government-to-government arrangement and has been in charge of junior development.
His two-year mandate expired last year, but was renewed for another year.
He has travelled around the country where he has held coaching clinics for coaches in junior development.
Pagels was part of the technical committee led by Zifa board member (competitions) Benedict Moyo, technical director Nelson Matongorere, former technical director Gibson Homela, Zimbabwe Soccer Coaches’ Association chairman Bhekimpilo Nyoni, Cosmas Zulu, Misheck Chidzambwa and Charles Sibanda.
Pagels though was not part of the team that made the recommendations.
Gumbo quit the Warriors job on the eve of a Zifa board meeting that accepted his resignation.
He was assisted in the national team by David “Yogi” Mandigora and the legendary Ndlovu.
He came into the fold in March this year following the suspension of Norman Mapeza for his alleged involvement in Asiagate. Gumbo quit last week after the ill-fated crashing-out in the final round qualifier for next year’s Afcon by the warriors following a 0-2 defeat to Angola after carrying a seemingly healthy lead of 3-1 in the first leg at Rufaro Stadium.
His resignation came after the committee recommended the appointment of a foreign coach after tabling an analysis of Gumbo’s report on the loss to Angola.
However, another source said when the committee met, they had not suggested any names to Zifa and neither had they recommended that Gumbo be relieved of his duties.
If Pagels takes over at the Warriors, he will become the second German mentor to lead the Warriors after the late Reinhard Fabisch.
