HARARE - Ian Gorowa last night quit as the Zimbabwe national football team coach ahead of today’s crucial Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) board meeting that was set to decide his fate.
The resignation is a pre-emptive move to today’s Zifa board meeting that was expected to sack the coach as part of the recommendations made by the High Performance Committee (HPC).
Gorowa presided over Zimbabwe’s worst Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualification campaign that ended in heartache for the nation after the Warriors bowed out in the preliminary round stage at the hands of Tanzania in June.
After that defeat to the Taifa Stars, Gorowa reportedly told the warriors players that he was stepping down but later changed his mind.
Since that failure, Gorowa had come under increasing scrutiny from the Zifa HPC.
The former Moroka Swallows and Mamelodi Sundowns coach publicly clashed with HPC vice-chairperson Gibson Homela.
In an apparent move to save face, Gorowa last night tendered in his resignation letter ahead of today’s Zifa board meeting.
“This is my letter making it official that I have stepped down as the coach of the national team,” reads part of Gorowa’s resignation letter seen by the Daily News.
Gorowa cites the breakdown of his relationship with the Zifa CEO Jonathan Mashingaidze as one of the reasons of stepping down.
“It didn’t take a rocket scientist to see that all is not well, my working relationship and the Zifa secretariat head by Jonathan Mashingaidze.
“I should have done this a long time ago thinking we might resolve and work towards rebuilding the shattered image of the game in Zimbabwe.
“My reasons are personal and among others the HPC spats with me in the press, the unpaid amounts being owed to me seven months to be precise, refunds (for) airfares, accommodation, Chan bonuses which the secretariat ignored all my pleas.”
Gorowa went on to thank Zifa president Cuthbert Dube for paying him his salary in his first months in charge of the team.
Despite the development last night, a Zifa insider had told the Zifa board was going to sack Gorowa at all costs at today’s meeting.
Gorowa took over the job after former Warriors coach Klaus-Dieter Pagels returned to his native Germany following Zimbabwe’s second place finish at the 2013 Cosafa Cup in Zambia.
His stint as Warriors coach began on a positive note after helping the team qualify for their third African Nations Championship (Chan) finals in South Africa at the start of the year.
Zimbabwe also impressed at the tournament on their way to finishing the tournament in fourth place after losing to eventual winners Libya on penalties in the semi-finals.
A lot of Zimbabweans had faith in the youthful coach but all that trust and belief evaporated following the Warriors tepid display against Tanzania in the Afcon preliminary qualifiers.
After losing the first leg 1-0 in May in Dar es Salaam, Zimbabwe needed nothing short of a two-goal margin victory in the second leg.
The Warriors, however, could only manage a 2-2 against the Taifa Stars at the National Sports Stadium at the start of June.