ZIFA SHOCKER! GOROWA NOT BEEN APPROACHED
GOROWA NOT BEEN APPROACHED

GOROWA

Ricky Zililo Senior Sports Reporter
THE country’s football mother body, Zifa, do not have contracts with national teams’ coaches.
This came to light at the Zifa extraordinary meeting on Friday.Fifty-eight councillors entrusted with governing Zimbabwean football met at the Zifa Village last Friday and found no                                       solution to the coaching crisis, chewing most time in discussing on the Premiership relegation and promotion. They agreed to have the topflight axing four clubs at the   end of the season which equates to 25 percent of the league which Fifa advised against last year.

A follow-up on what also transpired at the Zifa Assembly meeting whose previous ones have been turned to talk shows, revealed that during his presentation the Zifa board member John Phiri, a member of the high performance committee told councillors that there are no contracted coaches.

“Obviously when we go for those meetings one expects them to be productive and tackle all the matters that arise instead of forming cliques that fail to have informative arguments. You are told that the association does not have any coaches and no one                                    sees a fault in it, is that really plausible? Instead councillors politicise matters and ignore the core business of football which is among other things national teams.

“John Phiri briefed the assembly that the coaches don’t have contracts neither does Zifa have CVs for coaches that  they employed. Again the councillors saw nothing wrong about the matter,” said a councillor.

Because of fear of victimisation, councillors are said to be afraid to voice their concerns.

Impeccable sources said only Callisto Pasuwa who “was” the assistant coach   to Ian Gorowa during the ill-fated 2015  Afcon qualifiers as well as the Chan tournament submitted a curriculum vitae to Zifa.

Gorowa, his assistants Mkhuphali Masuku, Gift Muzadzi and Richard Tswatswa who are senior team technical members never submitted their résumés.

Even Sithethelelwe Sibanda and Langton Giwa who are said to be the coaches for the national girls’ Under-20 team that will represent the country at the Region Five Games in Bulawayo later this year and even led their squad to a friendly match against South Africa do not have contracts.

Contacted for comment about the status of Zifa coaches, the association’s spokesman Xolisani Gwesela said the recommendations of Phiri’s committee will be looked at by the board.

“Board member John Phiri presented a technical report and made recommendations that will be discussed by the board.   There were no conclusions on all national teams’ technical personnel. All those issues about the coaches’ contracts will be revealed in due course,” said Gwesela.

He could not be drawn into revealing how soon the board would meet to appoint or announce substantive coaches.

This publication has it on good authority that the general consensus is not to extend Gorowa’s stay with some board members of the view that only a foreign coach is the solution to Zimbabwe’s football crisis.

Sources said Callisto Pasuwa has been recommended to be the Under-23 coach with Jairos Tapera retained for the Under-20 boys while Saul Chaminuka will take charge of Under-17s.

Despite a fledging junior league and several Premier Soccer League coaches, Bulawayo’s coaches were found not to be good enough to be entrusted with national teams.

One is believed to have been considered on the strength of his Midlands-based employers supporting an age group team.

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