ZIFA have effectively shut the door on local coaches after the association reaffirmed yesterday that they have begun interviewing the five expatriate coaches they have short-listed for the job.
The trio of German coaches Winfried Schäfer, Michael Nees, and Antoine Hey are among the favourites to land the job alongside Brazilian national Marcio Maximo Barcellos and Spanish manager Gerard Nus.
Local coaches include Taurayi Mangwiro, Saul Chaminuka, and Bruce Grobbelaar have shown huge interest in the job along with Dynamos' Genesis Mangombe and Bulawayo Chiefs' Thulani Sibanda.
Ex-coaches Norman Mapeza and Kalisto Pasuwa did not bother to apply despite a section of the fans feeling the pair should have been given another dance with the Warriors and be provided with the kind of resources that ZIFA normally avail to foreign coaches.
After conducting the first round of interviews, ZIFA yesterday issued a statement indicating that they are moving to the final stage of the coach recruitment process.
"The Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) is pleased to provide an update on the ongoing recruitment process for the Zimbabwe Men's National Team Head Coach. After an exhaustive search and meticulous selection process, the following applicants have been interviewed for the position: Winfried Schäfer, Michael Nees, Antoine Hey, Marcio Maximo Barcellos, and Gerard Nus.
"The preliminary interviews were conducted yesterday, Monday, 22 July.
"The second round of interviews is scheduled to take place over the next few days, ensuring a thorough evaluation of each candidate's qualifications, vision, and ability to lead our national team to new heights."
The reaffirmation by ZIFA that they have gone international means that the Warriors will begin their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations campaign under an expatriate when they face Kenya in September.
Manica Diamonds mentor Jairos Tapera was the last man to take charge of the Warriors on an interim basis, when he presided over two World Cup qualifiers and the 2024 COSAFA Cup, albeit without success in both competitions.
There has been no substantive man in charge of the Warriors since 2022 when ZIFA parted ways with Croatian Zdravko Logarusic.
Coaches have been appointed on an ad-hoc basis since then with the likes of Joey Antipas, Sunday Chidzambwa, Brazilian Baltemar Brito, Mapeza, and Tapera, taking turns to lead the side in the last two years.
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The Warriors job has attracted so much interest that ZIFA had received 200 applications with 181 of them coming within the timelines they had set for CVs to be submitted.
Applications were received from all over the world and only last week they had to settle for the final short-list of five candidates.
The new coach is expected to be announced in time to begin preparations for the marathon 2025 AFCON qualifiers that are scheduled to begin in September and end in November this year.
Zimbabwe are in Group J of the qualifiers where they are set to face five-time champions Cameroon, Kenya, and Namibia.
The new coach will also be saddled with saving Zimbabwe's campaign in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, which resume next year in March.
Zimbabwe have been struggling in the qualifiers for the global show-piece as they sit at the bottom of Group C, which also has Nigeria, South Africa, Benin, Rwanda, and Lesotho.
ZIFA also indicated they had made headway in the recruitment of the coach for the national women's football team, the Mighty Warriors.
The vacant post was advertised for two weeks ago.
"ZIFA is diligently working on compiling the short-list for the Mighty Warriors head coach position. The interview process for this role is set to be completed by Monday, 29 July.
"ZIFA remains committed to appointing the most qualified and capable coaches to lead our national teams. We believe that these appointments will significantly contribute to the development and success of Zimbabwean football on the international stage," said the statement from ZIFA.
