Zimpapers Logo

Sikhumbuzo Moyo, Senior Sports Reporter 

THIS week Wednesday Zifa announced the appointment of Warriors coach and his backroom staff as the national association readies for the upcoming international matches that include the Afcon qualifiers, Chan finals and later World Cup qualifiers.

It was announced that Croatian Zdravko Logarusic shall be in charge of the Warriors dressing room and will be assisted by Chicken Inn’s Joe Antipas, who is the first assistant with Harare City’s Lloyd Chitembwe as the second in charge while Tonderayi Ndiraya of Dynamos is the third assistant gaffer by virtue of him being the Under 23 head coach.

It’s a welcome development that all is now set for the senior squad but what does this other club from Bulawayo do, they rush to the press and scream, literally wailing that they were not consulted by Zifa before the appointment of their employee.

“Everyone at the club is shocked how Zifa announced the appointment of our employee as Chicken Inn FC without talking to us. Antipas is Chicken Inn’s head coach and it’s surprising that they (Zifa) appointed him to the position of national team assistant coach when he had not applied for that job. He had applied for the Warriors’ top job and we were prepared for anything that would have arisen had he been successful,” Chicken Inn secretary-general Tawengwa Hara told us on Thursday.

“What Zifa has done is similar to a club that announces signing a player contracted to another club without Club A communicating with Club B. Our last agreement with Zifa regarding Antipas ended in December last year. We are going to sit as a club, speak to Antipas and find out what he wants”.

If this is not a classic example of retrogressive elements in our game then I don’t know what is. Here is a club or someone grandstanding and probably seeking sympathy or seeking to stoke emotions against Zifa all because they are still in a combat mode against the national association. To an observer it’s either they wanted Antipas to be appointed head coach but alas it didn’t happen. Hara, speaking on behalf of Chicken Inn, is angry that Zifa rushed to the media and announced the appointment of their coach without first engaging them. The same question can be put to Hara. Why rush to the media to air your views instead of engaging Zifa? There is no need to poison the relationship between the club and the football motherbody while pushing personal vendettas against those running the national game. I find it extremely out of order for someone to try and bring unnecessary friction in our game over such small issues. For starters, this is not a full time job for Antipas. You tell us that you had plan B in case he had been appointed head coach, what is the difference now? Are you trying to use Zifa as a shield to fire Antipas? 

What difference would it have made had Zifa first informed you and then later told the nation? Would you have barred Antipas from serving his nation? Let’s stop these grandstanding antics and for once be Zimbabwean by rallying behind a national cause. Actually and as a matter of fact, Chicken Inn must feel proud that they have in their ranks an employee who is national team material and instead of screaming through the media that you were not consulted, you should have used the media to thank Zifa for recognising your employee. Brand Chicken Inn will be pushed beyond our borders and I am sure your principals would love that. It should be mentioned that the Warriors’ assistant coach is the head coach at Chicken Inn. Imagine if we get to go to Qatar? But since the club is maybe in a combative mood against Zifa, such possible commercial benefit never sufficed. If I was Chicken Inn, I would celebrate and enjoy the moment of having one of us at the senior national team. 

So Chicken Inn, take a chill pill, please!