Sekhukhune United FC youth coach Kaitano Tembo has spoken about the privilege of leading the Warriors of Zimbabwe, with the prospect of earning the permanent job if he impresses.
Tembo is leading Zimbabwe on a interim basis after replacing Marian Marinica who resigned late last month. His first task begins on the 26th of May when Zimbabwe take on the Super Eagles of Nigeria in the Unity Cup semi-final.
If Tembo impresses at the Unity Cup, he will boost his chances of being appointed Zimbabwe’s permanent head coach. He was working as Marinica’s assistant while also serving as Sekhukhune United FC‘s development coach.
The Unity Cup also features Jamaica, and India. However, the Super Eagles sent a second-string squad to the four-nation tournament. Nevertheless, Tembo, is taking the tournament seriously as he is hoping to win the head coach job permanently.
CRITICAL AND DECISIVE MOMENT FOR KAITANO TEMBO
Speaking to FARPost, the former SuperSport United FC [now Siwelele FC] mentor said: “It’s a huge honor to be given this responsibility following the resignation of the previous head coach. I’m grateful to the president, the board, and the exco members for showing confidence in me to steer the ship.
“Even though it’s on an interim basis, coaching the national team is always a massive responsibility. You have millions of people looking to you to make the right decisions.
“It’s a huge task, and in football, results are always important. At the same time, we have to look at where we are coming from and what we are trying to achieve.”
Tembo added that his intends to produce results that will work as a motivation when The Warriors play in the 2027 AFCON qualifiers in September. They were drawn in Group E alongside the Democratic Republic of Congo, Equatorial Guinea, and Sierra Leone.
“The vision is clear: start preparing for the qualifiers that begin in September. It’s important we put our best foot forward now and show clearly the direction we want to take — in how we play and in getting results,”Tembo added.
“We are playing against a powerhouse like Nigeria, and those are the kind of friendlies you want to test yourself in. We’re just coming off playing AFCON, so we want to build on that momentum. The most important thing is to make sure we qualify. That’s the main goal.”
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