Simba Rushwaya
Senior Reporter
CHARISMATIC former Warriors goalkeeper, Bruce Grobbelaar, believes he was the best foot forward to lead the senior men’s soccer team after the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) through the Normalisation Committee (NC) appointed German gaffer, Micheal Nees.
Nees was among the quintet announced by the football governing body on the shortlist which included Spaniard, Gerard Nus, Brazilian, Marcio Barcellos as well as Germans, Antoine Hey and Winfried Anton Schafer.
Former Cameroon coach, Schafer was being touted as the man to take charge, but his appointment was halted after certain irregularities were reported.
There has been discord in the ZIFA echelons of power, with the Normalisation Committee led by Lincoln Mutasa embroiled in a tug-of-war with chief executive officer, Yvonne Manwa.
Zimbabwe did not have a substantive national team coach since its return to international football after the lifting of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) ban on international matches a year ago.
The Warriors have had interim coaches who include former Highlanders mentor, Baltemar Brito, FC Platinum head coach, Norman Mapeza and lately, Jairos Tapera of Manica Diamonds.
Speaking exclusively to Post Sport from his United Kingdom base, Grobbelaar who had appeared to be the next Warriors coach after his visit to the country last year, said the selection of foreign coaches is not in the best interest of the country.
“Look man, I was the best person to take charge of the Warriors right now because this is my country, and everything I do come from the bottom of my heart, and the desire to take my country forward. These foreign coaches are in it for money! After two years, they walk away with cash, and never bother to revise their work,” said Grobbelaar.
The European Champions League winner with Liverpool in the 1980s, said he had already assembled a team to take Zimbabwe soccer forward.
There were high expectations that Grobelaar, who visited the country in March this year, would land the coveted job, and everything appeared smooth.
During his visit, he met with Sports, Recreation, Arts and Culture Minister, Kirsty Coventry, officials from the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) and ZIFA, including Mutasa.
He flew into the country with his wife, Janne Karlsen and advisor, Rob Glover.
He also met with Football Union of Zimbabwe (FUZ) led by former Dynamos and Young Warriors midfielder, Desmond Maringwa.
“Mutasa is a gentleman, but his hands are tied. There are so many cooks in the kitchen and they confuse him. I still believe they will allow him to run the show, and appoint me instead of foreign coaches. I also met Minister Coventry, and I laid out my ambition to coach Zimbabwe,” said Grobbelaar who once coached in Canada.
He added that he was going to help in many projects, including efforts to have one of Zimbabwe’s stadia refurbished to meet the CAF standards.
The Warriors currently play away from home in their qualifiers after none of our stadia met the minimum requirements to host an international match.
The Warriors have played their home games in Rwanda and South Africa respectively.
“I have people who can help us to refurbish the National Sports Stadium in the shortest possible time at a low cost so that we can host our matches at home,” he said.
