Zifa target Belgian coach

By Mukudzei Chingwere

Belgian coach Jean-Francois Losciuto has emerged as a leading candidate to be appointed substantive Warriors head coach.

The Warriors coaching job remains vacant after the departure of the country’s most successful gaffer, Sunday Chidzambwa, who resigned last week.

Rahman Gumbo is the stand-in Warriors coach.

Losciuto has a lot of international football experience on the African terrain, having assisted Sunday Oliseh in the Nigerian set-up from 2015 to 2016.

The former head coach of South African side Black Leopards has also coached in Egypt, Togo, Rwanda, Burkina Faso and his native Belgium.

ZIFA seems to have been charmed by the Curriculum Vitae of the 47-year-old tactician, after they tentatively agreed to settle for a foreign coach during their Friday’s executive meeting.

When contacted for comment yesterday, ZIFA referred this publication to the statement they released after last week’s meeting.

“There is no development regarding that issue,” said the association’s spokesperson Xolisani Gwesela.

“We released a statement over the weekend and in that statement we explained everything and for now there is nothing as yet.”

The statement read:

“Rahman Gumbo will be the interim head coach for the men ‘A’ team’s African Nations Championship qualifiers against Mauritius.

“The Technical Development Committee will meet on the 3rd of August 2019 to review the structures of all national teams’ technical staff.

“The recommendations of the technical development committee will be discussed in the next board meeting for decisions to be made.”

As of yesterday the 47-year-old was in Belgium, but is expected in South Africa this afternoon for a meeting with his handlers, Avalanche Agency, with the vacant Warriors coaching job the agenda of their meeting. Losciuto has also authorised his handlers to start negotiations with ZIFA after he was impressed by the possibility of becoming Warriors coach.

However, many local football fans believe it is high time to give Warriors legend and former Liverpool star Bruce Grobbelaar the responsibility of leading the senior team.

Several names, including Joey Antipas, Callisto Pasuwa, Tonderayi Ndiraya, Norman Mapeza and Ian Gorowa, regularly gets mention for the high-pressure cooker job. The announcement for the new coach is expected soon, however, with the Warriors assignments coming in thick and fast. The Herald