Snl24 | AFCON winner to rescue struggling Zimbabwe?

2002 Africa Cup of Nations-winning manager Winfried Schafer is reportedly the favourite to become the next head coach of the Zimbabwe national team.

An Africa Cup of Nations-winning manager is now said to be one of the favourites to land the vacant Zimbabwe national team head coach role.

Zimbabwean football remains in limbo at the moment, both on and off the pitch.

Read: African club: Why we were refused use of Orlando Stadium

According to Soccer24, senior members of the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) Normalization Committee appeared before the country’s Parliamentary Sports Portfolio Committee this week, where the leaders of the football body were subjected to scathing reviews by several government officials, who described them as “clueless about football”.

On the pitch, things have not gone accordingly either, with the Warriors losing both their latest two 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches, against Lesotho and Bafana Bafana in June. Their hopes of making it to their first-ever World Cup have thus become increasingly slim.

Moreover, the national team does not have a permanent coach in charge, with Manica Diamonds manager Jairos Tapera currently serving as the nation’s interim coach.

This week, ZIFA’s Normalisation Committee announced that they will be appointing a permanent coach in the coming days, and revealed that there were five names on the shortlist of candidates.

They are Gerard Nus, Michael Nees, Marcio Maximo Barcellos, Antoine Hey, and Winfried Schafer.

However, according to Zim outlet Nehanda Radio, Schafer is the favourite to land the job due to his extensive resume, which includes the 2002 AFCON triumph with Cameroon. 

The German tactician has been without a job since 2021, after he parted ways with Qatari outfit Al-Khor SC, but the 74-year-old’s international experience with the Indomitable Lions, Thailand, and Jamaica are thought to be appreciated by ZIFA.

It is also reported that the new Zimbabwe coach will be paid by FIFA, and that the world football organising body has budgeted $150 000 (R2.7 million) a year to pay the Warriors coach, whoever it will be. 

Read: Argentina star robbed in France before controversial Olympics opener

ZIFA has also confirmed that the interview process for this role is set to be completed by Monday, 29 July, and that the appointed coach will take charge of the team when the 2025 AFCON qualifiers get underway in September.