Mandigora, Msiska get Warriors jobs

Mandigora, Msiska get Warriors jobs

NEW APPOINTMENT: Mandigora to assist Brazilian coach

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• ZIFA wields axe on Mhlauri

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• Warriors fall in Morocco, Mhlauri faces axe

• Mhlauri's fury over Ndlovu no-show

By Nkanyiso Moyo

ZIMBABWE’S Football Association has taken the first steps to appointing a substantive Warriors technical team after Dynamos coach David Mandigora was named as an assistant coach.

Mandigora, who had been recommended by Confederation of African Football (CAF) and FIFA instructor Ben Koufie, has just been named the Coach of the Year after leading Dynamos to their first league title in a decade. He also won the CBZ FA Cup.

ZIFA also named former Warriors goalkeeper and Eastern Lions coach Brenna Msiska as the goalkeeping coach while they wait for government clearance to name a Brazilian head coach.

Msiska was part of the Warriors team that made its debut in the Africa Cup of Nations in Tunisia in 2004 under Sunday Chidzambwa. He continued as an assistant under Rahman Gumbo after Chidzambwa resigned, but a 3-0 home defeat by Nigeria in September 2004 saw the pair fired.

Highlanders chairman Enerst Sibanda retained his post as Warriors manager,
although he reports to overall General Manager Sharif Mussa.

ZIFA vice chairman, Tendai Madzorera who is in charge of national teams, confirmed the developments.

"We need to work towards qualification for both the World Cup and the Nations Cup and what we need here is complete support from all stakeholders,” said Madzorera.

Madzorera revealed that a Brazilian coach would be recommended to them through a government-to-government deal with Brazil. He said the new coach would be unveiled before the New Year.

He said: "We need to give him time to look at all the players that Zimbabwe has and our target remains the two competitions in 2010 (World Cup and Africa Cup of Nations).

"Things should be in place hopefully before the end of the year.”

Mandigora was part of the Warriors technical department in the run up to and the finals of the Africa Cup of Nations last year but was relieved of his duties together with another assistant, Willard Khumalo.

Head coach, Charles Mhlauri was fired after the team failed to make to the 2008 AFCON finals in Ghana next year.

Msiska also bounces back, interestingly, taking over from his successor as Warriors keeper, Emmanuel Nyahuma.

Zimbabwe will face Guinea, Kenya and Namibia in the joint 2010 World Cup and AFCON finals that kick off in May, but they still need to move with speed to
put a coach in place so that international friendly matches can be organised in time.

Namibia and Guinea will gain more experience from playing in Ghana next year and the Warriors skipper Benjani Mwaruwari has told ZIFA to organise friendly matches with some top African teams.

FIFA will set two dates in February and March for international friendly matches and the national association will have to make use of those dates now that all foreign-based players will be released.
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