By Advent Shoko
HARARE, Zimbabwe — The Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) has unveiled a new-look national team coaching structure, appointing Spaniard Ramon Catala as Warriors head coach and Croatian Stella Gotal as head coach of the Mighty Warriors.
The appointments mark a major shift in Zimbabwe’s approach to national team football, with ZIFA placing foreign technical leadership at the centre of its Dream 2030 development programme.
Gotal’s appointment is particularly significant. She becomes the first foreign coach to lead Zimbabwe’s senior women’s national team, according to ZIFA’s announcement.
The association also named coaches for the men’s and women’s Under-15, Under-17, Under-20 and Under-23 teams, creating a pathway designed to connect junior football with the senior national teams.
Catala takes charge of the Warriors
Ramon Catala will lead the Warriors, assisted by fellow Spaniards Marc Sanchez and Vicente Izquierdo, alongside Zimbabwean coach Takesure Chiragwi.
Catala holds a UEFA Pro Licence and brings more than three decades of experience in football across Europe, Africa, Asia and the Middle East.
His previous roles have included work with Celta Vigo, Espanyol, Real Zaragoza and Dynamo Kyiv, while he has also held technical positions in Libya and coached the Nicaragua national team.
ZIFA’s choice comes at an important time for the Warriors, who are preparing for the 2027 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON) qualifiers, scheduled to begin in September.
The association had been searching for a substantive coach after Marian Marinica resigned in April 2026. Former Warriors midfielder Kaitano Tembo subsequently handled the team on an interim basis.
Catala will now be expected to provide stability while also helping ZIFA build a longer-term national team system.
Gotal makes history with Mighty Warriors
The women’s team will be led by Stella Gotal, with Arthur Gorejena named as her assistant.
Gotal arrives with international women’s football experience and is also a UEFA Pro Licence holder.
The Croatian was appointed head coach of the Gibraltar women’s national team in September 2025, after previously working within Croatia’s women’s national team structures and in Saudi Arabia.
She left the Gibraltar job in July 2026 after deciding not to renew her contract.
Her appointment in Zimbabwe therefore comes only weeks after her departure from Gibraltar.
Gotal has also worked as a UEFA Technical Observer, including at the 2026 UEFA Women’s Under-17 European Championship, underlining the technical-development experience she brings to the role.
ZIFA’s Dream 2030 plan
The coaching announcement goes beyond simply replacing coaches.
ZIFA says it wants to establish a connected pathway in which talented players are identified early and progressively developed through the national teams.
The association described the structure in simple terms:
“U15 identifies. U17 develops. U20 prepares. U23 transitions. The senior team performs.”
ZIFA said the programme is intended to end the practice of national teams being assembled largely around individual competitions, with little continuity between age groups.
“Today is not simply about announcing coaches. It is about announcing a new technical direction for Zimbabwean football,” ZIFA said.
The association said the aim is to establish common technical principles covering areas such as tactical intelligence, technical quality, transitions, intensity, athletic development and discipline.
“We are not trying to turn Zimbabwe into Spain,” ZIFA said. “We want to combine Zimbabwean talent with world-class methodology and build a distinctly Zimbabwean football identity.”
Full Warriors coaching structure
Senior Warriors
- Head Coach: Ramon Catala
- Assistant Coaches: Marc Sanchez, Vicente Izquierdo, Takesure Chiragwi
Warriors Under-23
- Head Coach: Marc Sanchez
- Assistant Coach: Wilson Mutekede
Warriors Under-20
- Head Coach: Kaitano Tembo
- Assistant Coach: Max Makanza
Tembo brings considerable Zimbabwean and South African football experience to the junior set-up. He previously coached SuperSport United, Sekhukhune United and Dynamos and has also served in the Warriors technical set-up.
Warriors Under-17
- Head Coach: Tafadzwa Mashiri
- Assistant Coach: George Mbwando
Warriors Under-15
- Head Coach: Backlyfield Chivenga
- Assistant Coach: Alexio Sigion
Full Mighty Warriors coaching structure
Senior Mighty Warriors
- Head Coach: Stella Gotal
- Assistant Coach: Arthur Gorejena
Mighty Warriors Under-20
- Head Coach: Rosemary Mugadza
- Assistant Coach: Naison Muchekela
Mugadza is a former Mighty Warriors captain and coach, giving the women’s development programme a coach with direct experience of Zimbabwe’s senior women’s game.
Mighty Warriors Under-17
- Head Coach: Jatson Maphosa
- Assistant Coach: Thubaelihle Sibanda
Mighty Warriors Under-15
- Head Coach: Irene Mwanza
- Assistant Coach: Jacob Chavungama
What the new structure means for Zimbabwe
The real test will now move from the announcement to implementation.
ZIFA is effectively betting that a unified coaching structure can improve the supply of players to the Warriors and Mighty Warriors while raising standards at youth level.
The association says youth coaches will not be judged only by tournament results. Player identification, technical development and the number of youngsters eventually reaching senior international football will also form part of the assessment.
That could represent an important change in mindset.
UK-based Zimbabwean football administrator Marshall Gore said the new structure could provide Zimbabwe with a much-needed long-term technical foundation, particularly if the pathway from Under-15 to the senior Warriors is implemented consistently. He said the approach appeared to go beyond short-term results by creating a system for identifying, developing and progressively integrating talent into the national teams.
However, Gore said the immediate demands of international football could not be ignored, with the Warriors needing a coach who can quickly understand African football, harness Zimbabwean talent from around the world and deliver qualification results. He said a coach’s CV alone does not guarantee success, with player quality, resources, preparation, administration, technical support and continuity also critical to achieving results.
“The new technical team must therefore be given the tools to succeed — but ultimately, international football is a results business,” Gore said.
Instead of treating an Under-17 or Under-20 team simply as a competition squad, ZIFA wants the age-group sides to function as stages in a single development pipeline.
“The greatest achievement of an U17 coach may not simply be winning an U17 tournament,” ZIFA said. “It may be producing six or seven future Warriors or Mighty Warriors.”
For Catala and Gotal, however, the immediate pressure will remain results.
The Warriors have to navigate the 2027 AFCON qualification campaign, while the Mighty Warriors will also face the demands of international competition.
For Zimbabwean football supporters, the biggest question is whether the new structure can finally turn the country’s abundant football talent into consistently competitive national teams.
ZIFA has now put the coaches in place. The hard part, producing results and a steady pipeline of international players, starts next.
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