Warriors caretaker coach, Joey Antipas has been urged to stand his and not allow the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) to dictate which players are called for the national team.
Antipas was appointed Warriors coach on an interim basis about two weeks ago following the sudden resignation of Sunday Chidzambga.
Reports claim that Antipas was instructed to drop several players by ZIFA for the upcoming World Cup qualifier against Somalia.
The players were reportedly dropped for having been vocal in demanding their allowances at the 2019 Africa Cup of Nations.
Key players to be overlooked include captain Knowledge Musona, his vice Ovidy Karuru, George Chigova, Talent Chawapihwa, Edmore Sibanda, Ronald Pfumbidzai, and Danny Phiri.
A Daily News Editor opines that Antipas’s cowardice sets a bad precedent. Part of the article reads:
… Joey Antipas has set a bad precedent and allowed a cowardly culture to perpetuate when he allowed Zifa to dictate players he could choose and not call up to the national team.
If the Warriors fail to get a good result against Somalia, Antipas will not be immune from criticism despite being forced to pick a weak squad by Zifa.
If you look at all the successful coaches in world football, they all have one trait — arrogance — which helped them conquer the game.
From Luis Van Gaal, Jose Mourinho, Sir Alex Ferguson, Pep Guardiola, Marcelo Bielsa, Cesar Luis Menotti to the late Johan Cruyff; it was their way or no way.
Antipas is not desperate and has got a good gig at Chicken Inn, so he should have walked away the moment Zifa placed those demands on the table.