KLAUS Dieter Pagels is likely to travel with the national football team to Mauritius this weekend for the African Nations Championships (Chan), despite his contract expiring on July 31 and him having bade farewell after the Cosafa final on Saturday.
REPORT BY WELLINGTON TONI/TAWANDA TAFIRENYIKA
The coach has signed a six-month contract at a school in Germany and says he has not been offered a contract extension by Zifa.
His assistant Ian Gorowa is expected to take over from the German if the talks between the expatriate and Zifa, which started yesterday and will continue today, are inconclusive. Gorowa travelled with the national team for the Cosafa championships in Zambia, although he did not sit on the technical bench.
Yesterday, board member development Benedict Moyo and Gorowa met in Harare and will meet with Pagels today.
“After tomorrow’s (today meeting), an announcement will be made on the way forward, but as for now there are no changes. For now, we are busy running around to ensure the national team travels for the Chan match and we are almost there with our arrangements,” said Zifa communications manager Xolisani Gwesela yesterday.
A source close to the happenings said: “We are worried about the vacuum that will be created between now and February when he (Pagels) returns because we want some continuity.”
Pagels led the Warriors to the Cosafa final in Zambia last Saturday where they lost 2-0 to the hosts and he said afterwards: “I hope they can find someone to build on to this since I will be going back to Germany next week when my contract ends. There is nothing that has been offered to me.”
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Meanwhile, there are not likely to be any major changes to the Warriors’ squad for this weekend’s Chan first leg.
Pagels said he would drop the injured pair of forwards Nicholas Alifandika and Lot Chiunga.
The Warriors coach, who had a squad of 20 players in Zambia, had also said he would take with him only two goalkeepers, meaning one of the three goalkeepers who were in Zambia would have to be sacrificed.
Harare City’s Maxwell Nyamupanedengu, who kept goal for Zimbabwe in Zambia, is likely to make the trip to Mauritius, while Pagels will have to pick the second goalkeeper between Caps United’s Tafadzwa Dube and Highlanders’ Munyaradzi Diya.
Dynamos defender Partson Jaure, who missed the trip to Zambia as the coach had already picked two players from Dynamos (Ocean Mushure and Devon Chafa), the mandatory number per club, could bounce back to play a part in Mauritius.
But Zimbabwe will have to put behind them that defeat as they seek a third successive appearance at the Chan tournament having taken part in the last two editions in Cote d’Ivoire in 2009 and Sudan two years later.
The winner of the second and final round of the qualifiers will play the winner between Botswana and Zambia, who also clash in the first leg this weekend in Gaborone.
