LOGA IS CALLING
Coach wants his US$55k payout, for winning ONE game
ZDRAVKO LOGARUSIC didn’t make his AFCON debut in Cameroon but his agents or lawyers will probably be making a call to the ZIFA secretariat very soon.
The Belgian coach was set to make his maiden appearance, at the Nations Cup finals, in Cameroon this month.
He helped the Warriors qualify for the tournament, after taking charge of four of their SIX group matches, in the qualifiers for a place at the football showcase.
He was sacked, a few months before the start of the Nations Cup finals, after a miserable run in the opening matches of the 2022 World Cup qualifiers.
A 0-1 defeat at the hands of Ethiopia, and a damning report compiled by suspended ZIFA board member, Sugar Chagonda, who was the head of delegation in the East African country, sealed Loga’s fate.
In 14 matches, in charge of the Warriors, the Belgian was only able to inspire them to a single victory, a 1-0 win over Botswana in Francistown, which sealed their place in Cameroon.
Under his guidance, the Warriors lost 1-3 to Algeria in his first match.
They then held the Desert Foxes, who crashed out of the current AFCON finals yesterday, after a miserable 1-3 thrashing at the hands of Cote d’Ivoire, to a 2-2 draw in Harare.
A 1-0 win over the Zebras in Francistown, coupled with Zambia’s wild draw against the Desert Foxes in Lusaka, ensured his men booked their place in Cameroon.
Loga will probably argue he would have taken the Warriors into the knockout stages, for the first time in their history, had he been given more time in charge of the team.
It’s hard to argue otherwise.
It’s an AFCON tournament, which has gone against tradition, with some of the giants, being knocked out of the tournament while minnows, like the Comoros and Gambia, have sailed to the Round of 16.
Norman Mapeza, who replaced Loga, will also probably argue that his men were just unlucky.
After all, he will tell those who believe in him, that they ended their campaign with three points, the same number of points, which took the Comoros into the last 16, while the Warriors returned home.
He will probably say his troops scored THREE goals at the tournament while the Lions of Teranga, whose side included Liverpool superstar, Sadio Mane, didn’t score even one goal, from open play, in 270 minutes.
Senegal’s only goal came against the Warriors, in the 98th minute, when Mane converted a penalty, after Kelvin Madzongwe was adjudged to have handled, inside the box, in the last attack of the game.
But, Loga still has a reason to smile, now that the Warriors’ campaign is over.
After all, he is guaranteed a handsome jackpot of US$55 000, which represents 10 percent of the USS$550 000 payout, which the Warriors will get from CAF.
It’s guaranteed to all the teams, which take part, in the AFCON finals.
Even though Loga won the same number of points (FOUR) in four qualifying games, he will get his jackpot while Joey Antipas, who won the same number of points (FOUR) from just two games, will get NOTHING.
Is Loga the luckiest coach in the world?
In the context of rewards, per games won, his payout probably compares with the biggest jackpots, given to football coaches, around the world.
In short, he is being paid US$55 000, for winning one game, against Botswana, during his time in charge of the AFCON qualifiers.
That’s a cool jackpot because Mapeza, who also won a game at the AFCON finals, will probably get a tiny fraction of that, maybe just a 10th of what Loga will receive.
Some guys, they say, appear to have all the luck.