Marinica Calls For Overhaul Of Zimbabwe Football
Warriors coach Marian Marinica has called for a major overhaul of Zimbabwe’s football system, from grassroots level right through to the Premier Soccer League, saying it must produce players capable of competing on the international stage, like at the ongoing 2025 Africa Cup of Nations.
Zimbabwe exited the continental showpiece at the group stage for the sixth time after losing to Egypt and South Africa and drawing with Angola in Group B.
It was a disappointing end to the campaign, especially given how close the Warriors came to progressing.
The biggest frustration was that Zimbabwe could have reached the Round of 16 with just two points had they held on to a 2-2 draw against Bafana Bafana in their final pool match in Marrakech on Monday.
Marinica pointed to South Africa’s squad, made up largely of locally based players who regularly feature in the CAF Champions League, as a model Zimbabwe should emulate going forward. He said:
“There needs to be a lot of thinking and groundwork done from grassroots level and also in the Premier Soccer League. We need players to be ready for this kind of level.
“If you look at Bafana Bafana, they have players from local leagues who regularly play at a very high level in the CAF Champions League.
“They are a very strong team. Can we also get this type of player from our local leagues?”
Marinica believes local leagues should bring in players from other competitions to raise standards, strengthen domestic football, and make players more competitive. He said:
“At the same time, instead of being an exporting country of talent, can we become an importing country?
“This way, maybe we can compete for trophies with our clubs, have better-prepared players for the national team and start rebuilding.
“And, you know, March is just around the corner when the 2027 AFCON qualifiers kick off. We’ll look to get as many results as possible then.
“It’s a short turnaround, but I think ZIFA knows exactly what they are doing and we are on a very good pathway.”
— Chronicle
