THE Warriors' cheerleader Chris "Romario" Musekiwa has urged fans to give new national team coach Marian "Mario" Marinica a chance to showcase his abilities and forge a winning machine.
Zifa took a huge gamble when appointing the Romanian coach a fortnight ago on a 12-month contract, tasking him with leading the team into the Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon).
The 59-year-old succeeds Michael Nees, who departed last month after Zimbabwe failed to secure a win in the 2026 Fifa World Cup qualifiers.
The football mother body said the hire is part of a wider plan to “rebuild the Warriors and restore continental competitiveness."
The appointment has not been without controversy.
Some fans favoured a proven name like former Kaizer Chiefs coach Stuart Baxter. Some analysts have slammed Zifa's eleventh-hour coaching switch, just weeks before the Afcon finals, saying it was a risky throw of the dice.
Keep Reading
However, Romario is having none of the negativity.
He staunchly backs Zifa's decisive intervention to fire Nees and replace him with a coach who guided Malawi to the Round of 16 at the 2021/22 Afcon—that country’s best-ever finish—and later worked with Liberia, which became the highest climbers in the Fifa Rankings in June 2024 during his tenure.
A Uefa Pro Licence holder, Marinica has also served as a technical director, coach educator and performance consultant, bringing more than 25 years’ coaching and technical experience across Africa, Europe, Asia and South America.
"His appointment is a step in the right direction as we count down to the Afcon finals," Romario told NewsDay Sport yesterday. "Although we don't know much information about his credentials besides the fact that he coached Malawi and Liberia, we encourage everyone to rally behind him. Let's measure him by his results."
He expressed hope that "Super Mario" can bring "some winning strategies" to a "success-starved football-loving nation."
"When you participate in a tournament of the Afcon magnitude, you have to go there with a winning mentality. Hence, as supporters and the nation at large, we have some expectations to see our beloved Warriors reach at least the knockout stages and even beyond. We wish him the very best."
Marinica has already scored an early victory with the local supporters.
He immediately selected Premier Soccer League top goal scorer Washington Navaya for the upcoming friendly clashes against Algeria and Qatar this week.
"We are delighted by that. Previous coaches overlooked him for reasons best known to them, but we know Navaya is a proven goal scorer," Romario said.
Known for tactical discipline and high-intensity football, Marinica will oversee preparations for the matches against Algeria and Qatar before shifting focus to Zimbabwe’s Afcon campaign in Morocco next month.
His brief is to stabilise results in the short term while laying foundations for sustained progress. Zimbabwe has been placed in a tough Afcon group where they will face Egypt, South Africa and Angola.