Jairos Tapera To Finalise Warriors Squad
Warriors’ caretaker coach Jairos Tapera is on Wednesday expected to finalise the squad for the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers against Lesotho and South Africa next month.
The Herald reported that the original squad was selected by former Warriors coach Baltemar Brito and ZIFA’s FIFA Forward manager Kudzi Chitima as ZIFA was racing against time to send requests for release letters to foreign clubs.
FIFA rules and regulations state that football associations wishing to call up a player must notify the player in writing at least 14 days before the first day of the international window.
Tapera and his assistants, Saul Chaminuka and Takesure Chiragwi, as well as technical advisor Sunday Chidzambwa, were appointed on Friday last week but were only formally handed their appointment letters on Monday afternoon during a meeting with ZIFA.
Tapera on Tuesday told The Herald that he will include most of the players who worked with his predecessors, the Brazilian-born Portuguese Brito and Norman Mapeza. He said:
I think we will be able to announce the names of the squad that will do national duty in South Africa tomorrow (today) by the end of the day.
If all goes according to plan, we should be able to finish the task by then.
From what is on the ground, we will have to make do with the core of the squad that has been doing national duty in recent assignments.
Surely, there is no time to experiment or try too many new faces.
We just have to build on what has been there. After all, the squad has been in the hands of Baltemar Britto and Norman Mapeza.
These are experienced and good coaches that we believe have set a base we can carry on from.
Where we feel there is a need to make changes, we will duly do so but like I said the basis of the squad has to be from those that have been there.
Tapera, who is the Manica Diamonds coach, is also expected to name the squad for the COSAFA Cup that will follow soon after the World Cup qualifiers.
The Warriors will host Lesotho at Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg on June 7, and then play against South Africa at Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein on June 11.
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