A FIERCE battle for the Warriors job has erupted with Serbian coach Zoran Djordjevic and former Tottenham Hotspur reserve team coach Peter Battler forwarding their CVs to the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) for consideration, New Zimbabwe.com can reveal.
Togo coach and the Africa Cup of Nations winning former Nigerian captain Stephen Keshi and Roy Barretto, who coached the Warriors in 1998, have also applied for the job which fell vacant in May when Sunday Chidzambwa quit to join South African Premier League club Free State Stars.
Former Highlanders coach Barretto has ceased to be a Zimbabwean after he acquired Portuguese citizenship, and now resides in the United Kingdom.
Former Black Aces and Warriors coach Marc Duvillard and former AmaZulu coach Cosmas 'Tsano' Zulu are the only local coaches who have applied, a ZIFA source told this website.
The closing date for the submission of applications was August 15.
"We are now considering the applications and a decision will be made soon,” a ZIFA official said on Monday, adding: “The coach from Serbia has a very impressive CV.”
Djordjevic recently made history with Bangladesh, leading them to victory in the South Asian Games after an 11-year gap. The first foreigner to coach in the Bangladesh football league, he guided local club Churchill Brothers to their maiden I-League title last year.
Battler, who is based in the United Kingdom, played for English Premiership side Tottenham Hotspur and also coached the reserve side. He has a UEFA A licence coaching certificate.
Barretto’s final match as Zimbabwe coach was the 1-0 defeat to Zambia in the COSAFA final at the National Sports Stadium in 1998. His assistant was Liverpool legend Bruce Grobbelaar at the time.
The cash-strapped ZIFA has asked caretaker coach Norman Mapeza to take charge of the team for the opening 2012 African Cup of Nations qualifier away to Liberia on September 5 while they look for a substantive coach.
ZIFA said they would appoint a coach depending on their ability to pay him.
Zimbabwe, ranked 110 in the world, are preparing for their 2012 African Cup of Nations qualifiers. They are in Group A which includes seasoned campaigners Mali and the Cape Verde.