NATIONAL football team coach Klaus Dieter Pagels has finally come out in the open on his future with the Warriors after Zifa failed to offer him a contract extension “in time”.
HENRY MHARA
The German national who will lead the Warriors team in the regional competition beginning this Saturday, has his contract expiring at the end of this month.
Zifa have been giving a public impression that they are thrashing a new deal to keep Pagels after the expiry of the current deal, but the 63-year-old yesterday came out in public to say nothing has been moving.
“I have been reading about it (contract negotiations) in the newspapers and nothing more. I read in the newspaper on Sunday that they are willing to engage me, but it’s late now, I have already made other commitments back home,” Pagels told NewsDay Sport yesterday.
“The contract I have expires at the end of this month so I’m only left with the Cosafa tournament and after that I will leave. There is the Chan game in Mauritius on the last weekend of this month ,but I’m not sure if I will handle that one because I need time to prepare for my departure. I will not be allowed to stay a day longer after the expiry of my contract,” added Pagels.
“I would have loved to stay and continue with this project because it will be difficult for the new coach to come and continue with this style of play I introduced to the team. The new coach will have to start all over again and I don’t think it’s good for football development in this country.”
Pagels was on a government-to-government agreement as a Zifa technical advisor when he was appointed to the Warriors job as an interim coach after the dismissal of previous coach Rahman Gumbo.
