Antony Chawagarira
HARARE — The Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) has begun the search for a substantive Warriors head coach, with several local and foreign coaches reportedly in contention for the position.
The national team is currently under the interim guidance of Kaitano Tembo following the resignation of Romanian coach Marian Marinica in April.
ZIFA chief executive officer Yvonne Manwa confirmed that the association was working on appointing a permanent coach, although the process was still underway.
“All I can say at the moment is that we are seized with the matter (of looking for a national coach) and we will advise the nation when all due processes are completed,” Manwa said.
Several coaches have reportedly been considered for the position, including Belgian Tom Saintfiet, Serbian Milutin “Micho” Sredojević, Spaniard Ramon Catala, German Torsten Spittler, Portuguese Luis Goncalves and Egyptian Mohamed Fathi.
Tembo is also reportedly in the running for the substantive position after taking charge of the Warriors on an interim basis.
The search comes as Zimbabwe prepares for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers, which are expected to get underway later this year.
Marinica took charge of the Warriors in December last year but resigned after only five months in charge.
He had succeeded German coach Michael Nees, who guided Zimbabwe through the 2025 AFCON qualifiers.
ZIFA is expected to finalise the appointment soon to give the new coach adequate time to prepare the Warriors for the upcoming AFCON qualifying campaign.
The appointment is also expected to provide stability and clear technical direction for the national team as Zimbabwe seeks to strengthen its international football fortunes.
