THE Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) has invited applications for the Warriors job and confirmed caretaker boss Norman Mapeza will remain in charge pending the appointment of a substantive coach.
The association has run advertisements inviting applications in the local media setting a deadline of August 16 for prospective candidates to signal their interest in the job.
Candidates are required to have at least five GCSE Ordinary Level passes and a minimum of five years coaching experience at premiership level.
The new coach will take-over from Sunday Chidzambwa who resigned in May and moved to South Africa where he is now in charge of local premiership side Free State Stars.
ZIFA board member in charge of competitions Benedict Moyo said the association was not particularly concerned about the nationality of the new coach.
"We are not necessarily looking at whether local or foreign, we just want the right candidate we can afford," Moyo told The Herald.
However the coach would have to work with a German technical advisor Klaus-Dieter Pagels on developmental projects.
“Pagels is also coming and will be helpful especially on grassroots development and we will also ask him to assist the coach where necessary,” Moyo added.
Zimbabwe failed to qualify for the last two editions of the Africa Cup of Nations and the new coach will be expected to guide to the country’s return to the summit of the continental game as well as make it to the next FIFA World Cup Finals which will be hosted by Brazil in 2014.
"We are not going to experiment because we are looking further than Brazil 2014.
“We want the coach to be able to build a strong foundation for the future by mixing youth and experience because after 2014 we would also want to qualify for the next World Cup," Moyo said.
He also confirmed that Mapeza, who took charge of the team after Chidzambwa’s departure, would be in charge of the team for its next assignment against Liberia in an African Cup of Nations qualifier.
"Mapeza will definitely be in charge of the national team’s opening match and will act in that capacity until we get the right candidate.
"There is no use rushing things. We are giving ourselves time because we don’t want to do a shoddy job,” the ZIFA board member said.