By Fungai Muderere
With his short contract as Warriors caretaker coach winding down, veteran coach Joey “Mafero” Antipas has wasted no time to declare that he “is open for business”.
The Chicken Inn coach’s interim contract expires on 31 December, but he wants his marriage with the senior football national team to continue as he strongly believes he can deliver.
Antipas led the Warriors in six games, managing three wins, two draws, one defeat. He managed to qualify to next year’s Chan finals that will be held in Cameroon.
Antipas revealed that working for the national team was addictive and thrilling.
“It was fun to work with senior national team players. When national duty calls it’s up to everyone to take it seriously and as such if Zifa does approach me to take over, I will need to liaise with my club (Chicken Inn). All I can say is that, I’m open for business,” said the two-time championship winning coach.
Zifa will choose a substantive coach in January next year. Antipas has been in charge since the resignation of Sunday Chidzambwa in July.
In a statement on its website, Zifa said the prospective Warriors coach “should be a holder of a Caf A coaching badge or equivalent, (and have) at least 10 years international football experience”.
Mafero is a holder of a Caf B licence exempted to coach in the local Premier Soccer League without the Caf A Licence on the basis that he has won two league championships with Motor Action (2010) and Chicken Inn in 2015.
He spent time at European clubs, Borussia Dortmund (German) and Brondby (Denmark) as part of his studies in 2012 and 2013.
Other requirements from the country’s football mother body include practical knowledge of Zimbabwean and African football, knowledge of English Language, educational background (a degree is an added advantage) in addition to having “modern football analysis skills”.
In addition to advertising the Warriors coaching job, Zifa also invited applications for the positions of nation teams general manager, technical assistant or training officer, youth development officer, women football administrator, grassroots football officer, referees desk officer, accounts clerk, marketing officer, Zifa Village manager, Human resources and administration officer and also personal assistant to the Chief Executive Officer. B-Metro
