WHEN the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) finally announced last week that they had appointed Croatian journeyman Zdravko Lugarusic as the new Warriors coach, all that came out of that shock announcement was an outpouring of dismay and disappointment which had ground.

Once again local coaches who have enjoyed success with the country’s senior men national soccer team, the Warriors, were overlooked as ZIFA settled for what will turn out, going into the future, to be a waste of resources and the nation’s hopes.

But that is ZIFA for you and to an extent, what our nation has become; a country that seeks for salvation from the outside in a sea flowing with unprecedented talent and resources.

That is the matter this week on an eternally blundering ZIFA that cannot cease to disappoint.

ZIFA does it without restrain, something akin to difficult to cull habit. 

The football governing body did not hesitate to drag us back to a past that soccer fans have never really found joy in.

There is this obsession with foreign coaches that seems to fascinate our officials, an obsession that gives little and no regard to the fans.

We have grappled as a nation with heated debate on whether we need foreign coaches or not, time and again the conclusion has been an emphatic no.

Football, like any other sport has results and delivery as the ultimate judges.

That ZIFA settled for a man whose only ‘success’ was a measly third place finish at the last edition of Africa Nations Championship (CHAN) tournament, is a damning indictment of his ability to take the game forward. 

Lugarusic has little experience in international football.

His record at the many clubs that he has coached on the continent is simply pathetic.

He does not stay long.

He does not honour or see through his contracts.

“Lugarusic last job was with the Sudanese national team from December 2017 to November 2019,” reads the Croat’s profile that was published online sports website soccer24.co.zw last week.

“He was sacked from the position in November last year following the team’s defeat to South Africa in the 2021 AFCON Qualifiers.

The well-travelled gaffer also had stints in Africa when he coached Gor Mahia and AFC Leopards of the Kenyan Premier League, Ghanaian side Asante Kotoko and Tanzanian club Simba SC.

As ZIFA made the appointment based on their financial status, the new Warriors coach has been entangled in a contractual dispute before.

He demanded about $US 1 600 from Simba SC after the club ‘unprocedurally cancelled his contract’ in 2013.

Lugarusic attracted media attention in September when he said that FIFA changed his votes in the 2019 Best Awards.

He claimed that he picked Mohammed Salah in his first box but when FIFA released the voting results, it said he chose Lionel Messi as his first pick.”

We contend ZIFA’s shocking decision based on the success that has been achieved by local coaches both in the country and outside.

We base our analysis on the fact that ZIFA could have used whatever amount they will be paying Lugarusic to send our coaches for further training abroad.

Football is driven by an understanding of culture and a connection with local roots which is why legendary Egyptian coach Hassan Shehata led his country to a historic and unprecedented three AFCON titles in a row.

The great Shehata led Egypt to glory from 2006 to 2010.

Egypt went on to make the mistake that has been made by the out of sorts ZIFA when they appointed Mexican coach Javier Aguirre to lead the side at the 2019 AFCON which they hosted.

The former champions were knocked out in the first round of the tournament after losing 1-0 to South Africa.

The embarrassing first round exit led to the resignation of the entire Egyptian Football Association board led by Hany Abou-Rida.

We hope that ZIFA president Felton Kamambo and his misfiring board will resign when their Lugarusic experiment fails.

The 2019 AFCON Final which pitted eventual winners Algeria and Senegal should have provided sobering insights to the Kamambo selection criteria.

The finalists were both coached by local coaches with Djamel Belmadi and Aliou Cisse respectively dishing some of the finest football seen on the continent in recent times.

The following article published on July 18 2019 by France24 gives an apt illustration of how foreign coaches are doing the continent a disservice. 

Titled ‘After years of turmoil, Algeria finds a coach in Blemadi’, the story lays into the continent’s obsession with foreign coaches.

“Algeria’s troubles of recent years began after a quarter-final exit at the AFCON in 2015 which led to criticism of coach Christian Gourcuff,” reads the report in part. 

“The Frenchman clung on for another year, eventually quitting following a 3-3 draw against Ethiopia.

Nabil Neghiz stepped in for one game as caretaker before the reigns were handed to Milovan Rajevac who lasted for two games, quitting after a 1-1 draw at home to Cameroon in a World Cup qualifier.

Belgian Georges Leekens was next and he lasted five matches, including a 3-1 loss to Nigeria in another World Cup qualifier.

Then came Spaniard Lucas Alvarez who resigned following home-and-away World Cup qualifying defeats to Zambia which meant that Algeria missed out on Russia (2018 FIFA World Cup hosts).”

Here in Zimbabwe we have not forgotten the exploits of Sunday Chidzambwa, Charles Mhlauri and Kalisto Pasuwa.

When all is said and done, the reality is that we do not need foreign coaches.

Let those with ears listen.