Zimbabweans Fuming Over Sacking of Warriors Coach Kalisto Pasuwa
Lulu Mawela Mawela: I saw it coming. Where are the 40 councillors who sold ZIFA to a comedian? How can you fire a coach who's already in camp with players?
WASHINGTON DC — Zimbabweans have expressed dismay over the sacking of national soccer team coach, Kalisto Pasuwa, and his entire technical team saying the move is retrogressive. The firing, which has set the social media on fire, is being condemned by local people and Zimbabweans living in other countries. Here are some of the unedited messages posted on VOA Studio 7 Facebook page. Independent soccer commentator Wellington Toni told VOA Studio 7 the sacking of Pasuwa was a “very sad development for Zimbabwe football at the moment considering that the African Nations Championships are only starting on the 16 of January and basically the national team that was in camp has about four weeks to prepare. “To me it seems we have a ZIFA leadership that does not have a focus on what has to be done.” The Zimbabwe Football Association fired the entire Warriors technical team on Thursday. In a statement signed by ZIFA vice president Omega Sibanda, the association said this was made at an extraordinary meeting of the ZIFA national executive committee on December 17, 2015, in Harare where it was resolved that the entire technical team for the men’s national team headed by Pasuwa be relieved of its duties. The new head coach, Joey Antipas, who was supposed to have been deputized by Tonderai Ndiraya and Mandla Mpofu. Antipas has since turned down the offer. Sibanda could not say why the entire technical team was fired only noting that these appointments are with immediate effect. He said the national team camp preparing for the CHAN tournament has been dissolved with immediate effect and new camp dates will be announced in due course. He said in the statement posted on the ZIFA website, the new technical team will be in charge of the 2016 CHAN tournament and 2017 African Cup of Nations campaign. The Warriors have been over the years almost crippled by financial problems and have not made it into the elite soccer league worldwide. Some Zimbabweans have reacted with anger over the sacking of Pasuwa saying he must be reinstated with his entire technical team.