Warriors fall in Morocco, Mhlauri faces axe

Warriors fall in Morocco, Mhlauri faces axe

MHLAURI: Faces axe after Morocco defeat

By Sports Reporter

MAROUANE Chamakh and Youssef Hadji scored in the opening 26 minutes as Morocco beat Zimbabwe 2-0 to claim firm control of Group 12 in African Cup of Nations qualifying.

The victory gave Morocco seven points and a four-point lead over idle Malawi — and eliminated Zimbabwe with one point from three games.

Only the group winner will qualify for the 16-team field in Ghana next year.

Zimbabwe and Morocco drew 1-1 in the Zimbabweans home leg in March.

The Zimbabwe Football Association already has begun scouting a replacement for coach Charles Mhlauri, the Zimbabwe Independent newspaper reported Friday.

Speaking on Sunday morning after the defeat, ZIFA acting chairman Tendai Madzorera refused to come clean on Mhlauri’s position, but was clear on the need to start rebuilding for the future, with a new coach and not players.

“We are working on a deal with the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee (ZOC) for the hiring of an expatriate coach from Germany, who has already been identified and that means our focus is firmly on the AFCON and World Cup
in 2010.

“The required results have not come, the nation has been embarrassed and ZIFA will be answerable to that, we have to give answers and that may include new blood in the technical team.

“For now, the chairman (Wellington Nyatanga) and other board members are not in the country and we will have a board meeting to look at the report from the coach as soon as they return,” he said.

Zimbabwe has not won in a competitive international since beating Ghana in January 2006. - AP
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