Mapeza, Duvillard to take charge of Warriors

Mapeza, Duvillard to take charge of Warriors

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By Nkanyiso Moyo

THE Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) on Thursday took the first steps towards finding a replacement for Charles Mhlauri by appointing Norman Mapeza and Marc Duvillard as care-taker coaches of the national soccer team.

The two have been tasked with picking and preparing a team for the Warriors' final African Cup of Nations group match against Malawi on September 3.

Manager Ernest 'Mapepa' Sibanda and his assistant, Shariff Mussa, also the team's liaison officer, are the only survivors from the previous set-up.

Mapeza, currently the coach of Premier Soccer League Club Monomotapa, is a former national team captain and Duvillard has coached the Warriors in the past.

The shock appointments will underwhelm Zimbabwean soccer fans still reeling from the country's failure to qualify for next year's African Cup of Nations in Ghana.

The Warriors lost to Malawi, drew with Morocco at home but lost the return leg in the three-team group. They currently have a point and are out of contention for qualification.

Mapeza, who played for top Turkish club Galatasaray at the height of his career, has very little experience as a coach. He has less than five games in charge of Monomotapa, having deputised at Caps United in his previous involvement with coaching.

Duvillard, who has been used in the same role in the past, is a Swiss national and currently working for the Aces Youth Sport and Soccer Foundation Trust, whose objective is to develop talented young footballers into professionals, and at the same time offer them a good school education.
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