Former Amajita coach Thabo Senong has made a bold declaration about the vacant Zimbabwe senior national team job.
The Zimbabwe Football Association [ZIFA] is beset with finding a new coach ahead of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
Zimbabwe is scheduled to host Lesotho before taking on Bafana Bafana in next month’s qualifiers. Both matches are scheduled to be played in South Africa at the Orlando Stadium and Free State Stadium, respectively.
And Thabo Senong is among the foreign coaches, who have applied for the job ahead of the two matches. The 43-year-old is no stranger to the big stage, having worked as a Bafana Bafana assistant coach.
He worked under Ephraim “Shakes” Mashaba and later Stuart Baxter. Senong is also competing for this post with former Kaizer Chiefs and Orlando Pirates gaffer Kosta Papic.
Ex-Jose Mourinho’s assistant Baltermar Brito who presided over Zimbabwe’s first two World Cup qualifiers against Rwanda and Nigeria re-applied for the job. Former Cameroon coach Winfried Schäfer is also on the list of veteran coaches who are set to be interviewed for the job.
EX-AMAJITA COACH SENONG MAKES HIS DECLARATION
However, the former Amajita coach, Senong, who also coached Lesotho, is confident of taking Zimbabwe to the World Cup if appointed.
“I have applied for the Warriors position because I believe that I can assist this crop of players in qualifying for the FIFA 2026 World Cup. I’m qualified and grounded to lead the Warriors,” Senong is quoted by ZimSports Connect.
“Group C is a very tough group, but the Warriors have a chance to qualify for the 2026 FIFA World Cup in this group. If a tactically balanced team can be assembled, I’m sure they can qualify.
“I have knowledge about most of the teams in Group C., And I understand the demands of African football and its competitions. I coached Bafana Bafana and Lesotho, and I also played twice against Nigeria and Benin, respectively.”
The Soweto-born mentor had a successful stint with Amajita. He helped them qualify for two FIFA World Cup finals and two Africa Cup of Nations tournaments.
Under his mentorship, Amajita participated in the 2016 and 2017 AFCON Under 20 tournaments and the 2017 and 2019 FIFA Under 20 World Cup finals, respectively.
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