How will Marian Marinica handle our local league?

[Tafara]

We've seen some national coaches pretty much ignore the players in our own local league. I'm hoping Marian Marinica is different. His background includes being a technical director and a coach educator, so he should understand the importance of developing homegrown talent. We need a coach who actually comes to the stadiums and watches the local games.

If Marian Marinica just relies on foreign-based players, he's going to miss out on some real hidden gems. Building a strong national team means strengthening the local league, too. I hope ZIFA made that part of his job description. He needs to be involved with the entire football structure, not just the senior team.

 

[Petros]

This is a really important point. We all know our local league has talent, but our coaches often ignore it. With Marian Marinica, I am worried it will be the same story, especially with his short contract. He needs to win now. The easiest way to do that is to call up established professionals who are already playing at a high level in Europe or South Africa.

He doesn't have time to scout a 20-year-old from the local league and develop him for the national team. That's the sad truth. His job as technical director in other places suggests he understands development, but his current job as Warriors coach demands immediate results. Those two things don't go together.

So I think we will see Marian Marinica at a few big local games to show his face. But I predict that 80 or 90 percent of his squad will be foreign-based players. It’s the only logical move for him. Maybe if he gets a longer contract down the line, he will focus more on our league. But for this first year, I wouldn't expect many local players to get a chance.