IAN "DIBANGO" GOROWA is likely to be handed a three-year contract when the Zifa board meets in Harare at the weekend to ratify the former Dynamos striker's appointment as the Warriors coach. Gorowa was handed the senior national team's reins two weeks ago following the expiry of Klaus Dieter Pagels' government to government deal with Zifa.

Pagels was expected to fly back to his native Germany yesterday to take up a post at a German school on August 6.

Now Gorowa has since been mandated with guiding the Warriors to the African Nations Championships in South Africa next January and the 2015 African Cup of Nations finals in Morocco.

Gorowa, a former Zimbabwe international began his tenure as Warriors coach with a convincing 3-0 win over Mauritius in the CHAN first round, first leg encounter in Curepipe.

But the former Moroka Swallows and Mamelodi Sundowns gaffer's appointment was still to be tabled by the full Zifa board although indications are that it will sail through without any hitches with the 41-year-old coach set to get an initial three-year deal that could be reviewed after the 2015 Nations Cup finals.

Although Zifa chief executive Jonathan Mashingaidze could not be drawn into discussing much before the board's meeting, he confirmed that Gorowa's appointment was top of the agenda for the indaba which will also discuss amendments to the association's constitution and the steps being taken to bring to finality the long dragging Asiagate saga.

Zifa board member competitions Benedict "Grinder" Moyo has recently concurred with Mashingaidze that the association would need to abandon their penchant for interim set-ups and give "whoever is appointed national coach a substantive and long-term contract".

Before he went to Mauritius, Gorowa had held meetings with Zifa president Cuthbert Dube, Mashingaidze and Moyo.

But on Saturday, Gorowa is largely expected to get the thumbs up of the full Zifa board with Mashingaidze also indicating that the local football chiefs were committed to giving the new Warriors technical committee their support "even though our resources remain very limited".

"The board should ratify his (Gorowa's) appointment and it is from that board meeting on Saturday that it will become clear how long his contract will be."

"The issue of his relocation from his South Africa base will also be discussed," Mashingaidze said.

The Zifa chief executive also said the board would deliberate on a replacement for Peter Ndlovu in the national Under-23 dressing room.

Warriors' legend Ndlovu has relocated to South Africa after securing a new job at Absa Premiership side Mamelodi Sundowns where he is now the team manager.

"Peter has since moved to South Africa and we will need to fill the gap that he has left in the Under-23 team. The board also wants to ensure that all national coaches respect the need to submit reports for each game unlike the situation we have had where we get just one report for a whole campaign.

"We also need to establish a database that captures the players we have at home and abroad to avoid situations where a national coach indicates that he is not aware of some Zimbabwean players like Bradley Pritchard," Mashingaidze said.

The Zifa chief executive is also expected to send the additional information that Fifa requested from his association as the world soccer governing body takes steps to bring the Asiagate case to finality.

Zifa vice-president Ndumiso Gumede and Mashingaidze were in Switzerland on July 23, to appraise Fifa on the manner they handled the Asiagate saga as well as lobby the supreme soccer body to issue a global effect to the bans they imposed on individuals they deemed to have been the Asiagate masterminds.

The pair of Gumede and Mashingaidze will use Saturday's indaba to update fellow board members on their visit to Fifa House as well as the proceedings of the Asiagate appeals committee which wound up hearings on Tuesday with submissions from Mpumalanga Black Aces defender and former Warriors captain Method Mwanjali.

Former Warriors mentor Sunday Chidzambwa had been due to appear before the same Appeals committee on Tuesday but the veteran coach's case was eventually struck off after he reportedly failed pay on time the US$6 000 which each of the appellants paid to Zifa.

Chidzambwa's lawyers had earlier renounced agency and after deliberating on the matter the Appeals committee which is chaired by top lawyer Silas Chekera and includes football administrator Chris Mbanga and another prominent legal practitioner Thabani Mpofu, struck off the matter.

Mwanjali, just like Thomas Sweswe before him is challenging his life ban from the game with his lawyers arguing that the Zifa board's decision to sanction the defender was unconstitutional.

"By Friday we will have submitted additional information that Fifa requested from us. We will also share with members of the board how the Appeal hearings went and once the Appeal rulings are out we will forward them to Fifa and we will also stand guided by those judgments".

Mashingaidze also revealed that Zifa would "consider the applications for condonation (pardon) from former Monomotopa and national Under-17 coach Rodwell Dhlakama and ex-Njube Sundowns defender Danisa Phiri".

"Dhlakama and Phiri made personal pleas to the football leadership and their applications are to be considered by the board".

Dhlakama, who guided Zimbabwe to the Coca-Cola Schools Tri-nations Cup success against Zambia and Malawi in 2004 before leading the national Under-17 team to Cosafa Cup and Cosanoc titles is understood to have pleaded with the Zifa leadership to be given an opportunity to resume his coaching career that has been stalled by the life ban imposed on him over the Asiagate scam.

The unassuming Dhlakama had dedicated the better part of his coaching career to working in the Zifa development structures but his club coaching stint in Swaziland was cut short after the football association in that country directed that he needed to be cleared from the Asiagate scam before he could continue working in their country.

Phiri's playing days might be over but the former Dynamos man had just started a coaching career when he was slapped with a life ban from all football activities.

Saturday's Zifa board indaba, Mashingaidze also said, would discuss the amendments to the association's constitution.

The debate on the constitution follows a visit to the country early last month by a special Fifa team that was tasked with assisting Zifa to come up with a new constitution that complies with the world body's statutes.

"Fifa have since sent back the draft constitution and the constitutional review committee will now resume an outreach programme in all the provinces updating them on the 72 clauses that are in the draft.

"After that consultative exercise is completed at the end of August, we will have an EGM on September 28, where the assembly will ratify the amended constitution," Mashingaidze said.

But with many fans eager to see the Warriors make up for their dismal 2014 World Cup qualifying campaign, a lot of interest will be placed on the outcome of the kind of deal that Zifa will offer to Gorowa.

While Gorowa will come under the spotlight in the corridors of power at Zifa House, he will also be the focus of attention as he makes his home debut on the dugout as Warriors coach.