Zimbabwe: No Contractual Concerns for Coach
By Tadious Manyepo
WARRIORS coach Zdravko Logarusic says he will have no contractual issues to worry about when he starts preparing to lead Zimbabwe at the 2021 AFCON finals in Cameroon.
His current deal with ZIFA ends at the end of February next year.
There had been indications his deal would end in January next year.
That would have forced the two parties to negotiate for an extension, should the Warriors advance, to the final rounds of the tournament.
Zimbabwe are in Group B, along with regional rivals Malawi and West African sides, Senegal and Guinea.
Loga said the current crop of Warriors were a Golden Generation and they have the best opportunity to write a great story, for their country, in Cameroon.
"All the 24 countries, which qualified for the AFCON finals, have the same goal," said Loga.
"I am sure they all have the quality.
"In our group, if you look at it on paper, Senegal should be favourites but that is only on the paper but, when it comes to the field, we will have to talk on the field.
"What we have to do, as Zimbabwe, is to learn from the mistakes we made before, especially in the last tournament in Egypt.
"We need to be prepared properly, we should start much earlier, when we go up there, we shouldn't have any issues but just focus on football."
He said there was no question the Warriors have the pedigree to challenge any team at the AFCON finals.
"I think, all the time, we are saying we have a Golden Generation and it's time the Golden Generation bring the gold," he said.
"I am very sure, very positive, we will do something better than what most people are expecting.
"But, let's take it step by step, this means we have to pass the group stage first, then the second step, then the next step, and more."
Loga, who has been under immense pressure, has appealed for unity.
"I want us to succeed, I want to make football lovers happy, I want us to produce results which we never achieved before," he said.
"We need to be a unit, go together as a unit, the supporters, technical, media, players, together we can create a positive atmosphere, which will give us victory.
"We must feel the support, we must feel how much you are trusting us.
"I will give you an example of Croatia, it is a small country but when it comes to the national team, nothing is negative in the media, in comment, because everything is positive because we want to create a positive atmosphere."
He said the trick was to play every game, with a positive mind, knowing it was possible to win each of the matches.
The draw has been welcomed by the football fraternity.
"I think we got a fair draw and we have a fair chance to proceed to the next stage," said Warriors cheerleader, Chris "Romario" Musekiwa.
"Now, we know our group opponents, let's prepare accordingly and be able to go with a well-oiled (machine), ready to deal with the West Africans, Senegal and Guinea. "We should also not underrate Malawi, they have improved a lot, let's aim to beat The Lions of Teranga, in the opening match, and take control of the group. Thorough preparations will be key to our success."
If the Warriors win Group B they will play the team which finishes third in Group A (Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Ethiopia and Cape Verde) or third in Group C (Morocco, Ghana, Comoros and Gabon).
They could also face the team which finishes third in Group D (Nigeria, Egypt, Sudan and Guinea-Bissau).
If they finish as runners-up in Group B, they will take on the team which finishes as the runners-up in Group F (Algeria, Sierra Leone, Equatorial Guinea and Cote d'Ivoire).
In case they finish third, and qualify, they take on the team which wins Group C (Morocco, Ghana, Comoros and Gabon) or the winner of Group D (Nigeria, Egypt, Sudan, Guinea-Bissau).
This article originally appeared on The Herald
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