Under scrutiny
THE ZIFA technical and development committee is set to meet and analyse the technical report prepared by Warriors coach Zdravko Logarusic following the national team’s recent humiliation at the COSAFA tournament.
The embattled coach has handed in his technical report explaining the factors that led to the debacle after Zimbabwe finished bottom of the 10-team tournament.
Loga has become unpopular within the Zimbabwean football community following a run of miserable results since he was appointed to the helm of the national team last year.
The association’s Technical Director, Wilson Mutekede, yesterday said the Technical and Development Committee, which is chaired by Bryton Malandule, will discuss the team’s performance at the recent COSAFA tournament.
“As far as the Warriors are concerned, people have the right to feel aggrieved if the team does not perform to their expectations because this is the country’s number one football team,” said Mutekede.
“There is going to be a review meeting between the Warriors and the technical and development committee to look into the team’s performance.
“It’s the standard practice that after every match or tournament the coaching department prepares a technical report highlighting the team’s performance and factors affecting performance. The aim of this exercise is to find ways of improving our results going forward as a national football team.
“Just like in any other meeting, we may agree and we may also disagree. A lot of things will be ironed out in that meeting. I am sure after this meeting, there is going to be some detail and we may call a press conference or make a statement. Right now we cannot discuss much,” said Mutekede.
The Warriors hit a new low under Loga’s tutelage at the regional tournament won by hosts South Africa last Sunday.
Six-time winners, Zimbabwe, bowed out of the tournament without a win in what became their worst performance in the tournament’s history. They also blew a 17-match unbeaten record, which had stood for six years, when they lost 0-2 to Namibia.
Zimbabwe finished the tournament bottom of the tables with two points from four games. The disappointment stirred public outcry for the coach to be replaced ahead of the more important FIFA World Cup qualifying matches set for September and the AFCON finals to be held in Cameroon early next year.
“We are quite aware of the public sentiments. Unfortunately, football is a game of euphoria, there are emotions all over. But we all need to understand that if we are to take that direction, there are processes that need to be followed.
“It’s not even proper labour practice to announce that someone has been fired from his job without hearing his side of the story.
Above all, it is the responsibility of the board to hire or dismiss members of the technical team. There are structures,” said Mutekede.
Loga was appointed at the beginning of last year on a two-year contract. He has been in charge of Zimbabwe for 12 games.
Apart from the COSAFA débâcle, the red flags have been raised over Loga’s capabilities to lead the Warriors to glory. His report card makes a grim reading with only one win from 12 games, seven defeats and four draws.
Last year, the Warriors suffered the ignominy of finishing as the bottom-ranked side, among all the 16 teams at the CHAN finals, without a point, in their three group matches.
Loga was at the helm when the Warriors booked their place for the AFCON finals with his sole win against Botswana sealing the place at the 2021 edition in Cameroon.
However, the 55-year old was only able to contribute four points from a possible 12 in the continental qualifiers. The other four points came from the opening two games when Zimbabwe were under Joey Antipas.
Logarusic insists he has not failed in his mandate as the Zimbabwe national football team coach and feels he should not be judged by results from side tournaments such as COSAFA and CHAN. He said his mandate was the AFCON qualification and the upcoming World Cup qualifiers.
Zimbabwe are set to face South Africa and Ethiopia in Group G, of the global qualifiers, which also include Ghana.