Norman Mapeza has bounced back as coach of Zimbabwe’s Warriors, a few days after the country’s football federation parted ways with Croatian mentor Zdravko Logarusic.
Mapeza’s manager Gibson Mahachi confirmed on Wednesday that the FC Platinum coach has agreed a three-month deal with the Zimbabwe Football Association to take over the national team on an interim basis and oversee the remaining World Cup campaign.
He would be assisted by Taurai Mangwiro and Mandla Mpofu while Energy Murambodoro would be the goalkeepers’ coach.
Logarusic was dismissed as Zimbabwe senior men’s soccer coach on September 11 following a poor run of form that saw his charges winning a single match out of 14 attempts.
This would be the fifth time that the former Galatasaray midfielder would have a run with the Warriors, having had his first stint as a caretaker coach in 2007.
He bounced back in 2010, again as interim coach, before landing his first substantive role in 2011-12.
He had another stint with the Warriors on a caretaker basis in 2017 during which he helped the team to secure a place at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Cameroon.
JN/APA