H Metro

EX-PSG WOMEN’S TEAM COACH WANTS TO BE WARRIORS GAFFER

- Langton Nyakwenda

A FORMER Paris Saint-Germain women’s team coach, who has also worked closely with the likes of Luciano Spalleti and Philippe Troussier, is among hundreds of coaches who are eyeing the Warriors coaching job.

Christophe Gamel, 51, who holds a UEFA Pro Diploma, is in the race to become the next Warriors coach.

He responded to an advert flighted by ZIFA last week.

ZIFA are hunting for a substantiv­e coach to lead Zimbabwe in the back-to-back World Cup qualifiers scheduled for South Africa next month.

Zimbabwe will host Lesotho at the Orlando Stadium in Johannesbu­rg on June 7, before facing South Africa at Free State Stadium in Bloemfonte­in on June 11.

“I can confirm that a French coach called Gamel is among the applicants for the Warriors coaching post,” a source told Zimpapers Sport.

Gamel was an assistant manager at PSG’s women’s team between 2012 and 2016.

He then coached Fiji’s national team from 2017 to 2019, and reached the third round of the 2018 World Cup qualificat­ion with the lowly South

Pacific nation.

Gamel’s latest gig was with Vietnam where he worked as an assistant to Troussier, a vastly-experience­d gaffer who has managed various African national teams including Nigeria, Burkina Faso and South Africa.

At AS Roma, Gamel worked with Spalleti, who won the Serie A championsh­ip with Napoli in May 2023. before he was appointed Italy national team manager in August.

Former African Cup of Nations winner, Winfred Schaffer, has also applied for the Warriors coaching post, which has attracted interest from across the globe.

The 74-year-old German won the 2002 AFCON with Cameroon.

A technical committee, headed by ZIFA technical director, Jethro Hunidzarir­a, is in charge of the process.

The new coach will, however, have no time to choose his preferred players, given the proximity of the two World Cup qualifiers.

He will instead work with a squad selected by this technical committee.

Interestin­gly, Norman Mapeza, Kaitano Tembo and Kalisto Pasuwa did not apply for the Warriors job.

 ?? ?? Christophe Gamel
Christophe Gamel

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