ZIFA has appointed Marian (Mario) Marinica as the new Head Coach of the Zimbabwe Senior Men’s National Football Team, the Warriors, on a one-year contract.
ZIFA announced Marinica’s appointment in a press statement released yesterday.
“The Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Marian (Mario) Marinica as the new Warriors Head Coach of the Zimbabwe Senior Men’s National Football Team, the Warriors, on a one year contract,” announced ZIFA.
Marinica (61) replaces Michael Nees who was fired for pathetic results.
According to ZIFA, Marinica is a highly qualified coach with vast experience, having previously led African national teams such as Malawi and Liberia, and boasting over 25 years of experience in coaching at both club and national team levels.
This vast experience makes him a competent man to lead the Warriors at AFCON in Morocco this December.
“A highly accomplised UEFA Pro Licensed coach, Marinica brings over 25 years of internaltional coaching and technical experience across four continents- Africa, Europe, Asia and South America. He holds a Postgraduate Diploma in Sports Coaching from South Bank University (England) and a Diploma in Management, underlining a blend of technical expertise and leadership,” ZIFA said.
He has coached at Romanian clubs Rapid București, Gloria Buzău, Sportul Studenţesc, Argeş Piteşti, Rocar București, and Cimentul Fieni.
He has also coached at Kerala Blasters in India, Azam F.C. in Tanzania, Black Leopards in South Africa, Zakho FC in Iraq, and Kaposvári Rákóczi FC in Hungary.
In England, he has worked at Crystal Palace FC and Arsenal FC’s Academies as well as Leyton Orient FC’s School of Excellence.
His playing career included spells at Rocar București, Dinamo București and Steaua București.
At national team level he has been the Head Coach of Liberia and Malawi.
“Under his leadership, Malawi reached the Round of 16 of the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations, their best ever finish, while Liberia became the highest climber in the FIFA Rankings in June 2024,” applauded ZIFA.
ZIFA also announced that he is a man with a vision of empowering local coaches, which made him the right candidate for the job as it aligns with its vision.
ZIFA President Nqobile Magwizi in his remarks hailed the new Warriors gaffer and described him as the ideal candidate to lead the Warriors.
“We are delighted to welcome Coach Marinica to Zimbabwe. His wealth of experience, modern football philosophy and proven results at international level make him the ideal candidate to lead the Warriors into a new era. His appointment reflects ZIFA’s commitment to building a competetive and sustainable football structure that delivers results both on and off the pitch,” said Magwizi.
Marinica is expected to lead the Warrior in upcoming friendly matches versus Algeria and Qatar as well as AFCON 2025 campaign.
However, with all the praise from ZIFA, it remains to be seen if the Romanian is the right man for the job, given his termination by the Malawian Football Association in 2023 due to poor results.
The nomad coach managed to guide the Flames of Malawi to 2 wins in 11 matches, a.record close to Nees’ who was earlier sacked by ZIFA.
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Story by Jeremiah Gora
