DESPITE being a “distinguished” business executive, Zifa president Cuthbert Dube has underscored a startling demeanor of confusion in as far as the national team coach is concerned in exactly three years and three months he has presided over the football governing body.
By Simba Rushwaya
In a surprise move in his latest somersault, the Zifa boss, who has scored many firsts, announced on Thursday that Zifa had parted ways with German coach Klaus Dieter Pagels — his seventh appointment during his tenure to pave way for a local coach — again.
The whole country was made to believe Pagels had been hired on a long-term basis with the mandate of “rebuilding” the team after the Asiagate scandal.
Timeline of appointments of coaches. By Tapiwa Zivira
The German coach immediately introduced what he termed the tiki-taka kind of football preferring to field novices in his squad, but lost three competitive matches on the trot in the 2014 World Cup qualifiers. Pagels’ last assignment was the 1-0 defeat to Guinea last month and it signalled yet another departure of the senior team coach.
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“I have mentioned it umpteenth times. I have mentioned it time and time again and I’m still going to mention it again that we need a local coach for the Warriors. We have 16 coaches in our Premier Soccer League and then we have others in Division One. Are we saying Zimbabwe is so poor that they are unable to produce or train those people, to have our own coaches?” said Dube as a parting shot with the German mentor. But for how long shall the Warriors’ hot seat be treated like an experimental ground?
After assuming office in March 2010, Dube and his board appointed Norman Mapeza interim coach for the senior team, but three months down the line Zifa saw it prudent to thrust Belgian Tom Saintfiet into the hot seat as substantive coach — albeit in a botched-up operation because Saintfiet would leave the country in a huff after working without requisite papers from immigration.
That was the end for the Belgian to pave way for the greatest circus ever when Zifa, in its wisdom or lack of it, appointed Mapeza and Madinda Ndlovu to be co-coaches in the 2012 African Cup of Nations match against Cape Verde Islands.
The recipe proved disastrous as the Warriors were held 0-0 by their unfashionable opponents.
Ndlovu would assume the reins of the team on a caretaker basis and went to guide the Warriors at the Chan Championships in Sudan in February 2011. The Bosso and Warriors legend got the sack after a disastrous tournament.
Dube unilaterally re-appointed Mapeza to the throne in March that year, but once again suspended the former Galatasaray kingpin after he was found guilty in the infamous Asiagate.
Four months down the line Rahman Gumbo would win the Warriors jackpot, but was fired after dismal performance in the 2014 World Cup campaign paving way for Pagels to ascend to the same position in November last year. Eight months down the line the German mentor is on his way out. Circus!
Feedback: srushwaya@alphamedia.co.zw or 0772 843 456
