HARARE – Zimbabwean football voices are urging the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) to stop gambling with the Warriors bench and instead appoint a proven coach, then give him time to build, if the national team is to stand any realistic chance of reaching the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations.
By Advent Shoko
The debate gathered momentum this week after South Africa reached the FIFA World Cup knockout stage for the first time in their history under Belgian coach Hugo Broos, a feat that has reignited scrutiny of Zimbabwe’s own coaching decisions and long-running instability around the national team. South Africa’s progress to the last 32 came after a 1-0 win over South Korea, with Broos saying the achievement was the product of five years of work.
For many Zimbabwean fans, the contrast was impossible to ignore.
Former Warriors defender Cephas Chimedza was among the first to weigh in, pointing to Broos’ pedigree and South Africa’s clarity of vision under the South African Football Association (SAFA).
“Titles with Club Brugge and Anderlecht, continental title with Cameroon. That’s a proper track record. Not a TEMU (ordinary) order when getting the European coaches for the national teams. Proper track record. Hugo Broos and SAFA 👏👏👏”
The message landed quickly with supporters, many of whom turned their attention to ZIFA and asked whether Zimbabwe is serious enough about the Warriors to follow a similar path.
Zimbabwe’s revolving door
The frustration is rooted in years of churn.
While SAFA has backed Broos since 2021, Zimbabwe have lurched from one coaching arrangement to another, often without continuity, long-term planning or a settled technical structure. Sport photographer Libertino summed up the concern in a social post:
“The difference is in hiring decisions. While SAFA has had Hugo Broos since 2021, ZIFA has gone through SEVEN coaches. Yet we still don’t have a substantive coach!
1. Zdravko Logarusic
2. Norman Mapeza
3. Jairos Tapera
4. Baltemar Brito
5. Michael Nees
6. Marian Marinica
7. Kaitano Tembo”
That list captures the heart of the problem facing Zimbabwean football: not just who is hired, but whether anyone is given enough time to truly build.
Broos took over South Africa in May 2021 and gradually reshaped the squad, introducing younger players, creating a clearer playing identity and steering Bafana Bafana to a third-place finish at the delayed 2023 AFCON before their latest World Cup breakthrough.
Zimbabwe, by contrast, are still asking basic questions just months before the next AFCON qualifying campaign begins.
Tembo under the spotlight, but is the real issue time?
Kaitano Tembo is the latest man in charge, albeit on an interim basis, and some supporters are already debating whether he is the right man to lead the Warriors into the 2027 AFCON qualifiers.
That conversation has been shaped partly by the Unity Cup in May, where Tembo guided Zimbabwe to a bronze finish. The Warriors defeated India after losing to Nigeria, a result that drew attention because Zimbabwe had avoided defeat against the Super Eagles in recent meetings, and the tournament did little to settle the bigger issue of who should lead the team long term.
But there is another question lurking beneath the noise: even if ZIFA identifies the right coach, will they actually allow him enough time to work?
That is where the South Africa comparison becomes more uncomfortable for Zimbabwe.
Broos did not build Bafana Bafana overnight. He survived criticism, rebuilt the squad and benefited from continuity. His current World Cup run is being viewed in South Africa as the payoff from a process rather than a miracle.
Zimbabwe, on the other hand, have often behaved like a team in permanent transition, changing coaches, shifting philosophies and restarting projects before the previous one has had a chance to mature.
For supporters, the fear is clear: if ZIFA keep treating the Warriors job as a short-term assignment, even a good coach could fail.
The Marinica factor still lingers
The discussion has also reopened debate over Marian Mario Marinica, whose brief spell in charge remains one of the most divisive recent chapters in Warriors football.
Marinica’s tenure was short, but it left an impression. Under the Romanian-born coach, Zimbabwe scored in every match he oversaw and showed a more aggressive attacking identity, a shift many fans found refreshing after years of blunt football.
He also delivered silverware in the Mukuru Four Nations Tournament in Botswana, where Zimbabwe beat Zambia in the final and gave supporters a glimpse of a more front-foot Warriors side.
Yet the relationship ended abruptly.
As ZiGoats previously reported, Marinica’s exit came amid reports of tensions over the Warriors’ technical setup and disagreements behind the scenes. His methods divided opinion, but there remains a section of the fanbase that believes Zimbabwe walked away from a coach who, at the very least, had started to give the team a recognisable attacking shape.
That is why some supporters are now looking back and asking whether ZIFA moved too quickly again.
Results now, but structure for later
Zimbabwe’s room for error is small.
The Warriors have been drawn in Group E of the 2027 AFCON qualifiers alongside DR Congo, Sierra Leone and Equatorial Guinea, with the campaign due to start in September. It is a competitive group, and Zimbabwe cannot afford to enter it still uncertain about leadership, identity and long-term planning.
Fans are no longer satisfied with explanations about disruption, transition or administrative setbacks. The FIFA suspension that once stalled Zimbabwean football is now firmly in the rear-view mirror. What supporters want now is a credible team, a clear project and results.
That does not necessarily mean Tembo should be ruled out. In fact, some within Zimbabwean football argue the former Warriors star deserves a fair run rather than a few matches and a verdict. But whether the next coach is Tembo or someone else, the broader message coming from fans is increasingly consistent: hire quality, then show patience.
That may be the real lesson from South Africa’s rise under Broos.
A national team cannot be rebuilt every few months. It needs a coach with substance, a federation willing to back him and enough time for ideas to become identity.
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