The Zimbabwe Football Association [ZIFA] has appointed Spaniard Jose Ramon Catala Peiro as the new Warriors coach, with Kaitano Tembo falling by the wayside in the selection process.
Catala takes over after Tembo’s brief period as interim Zimbabwe coach following the April departure of Romanian Mario Marinica. While Tembo appeared likely to be handed the job on a substantive basis after leading the Warriors at the 2026 Unity Cup in London, ZIFA has, however, settled for Catala.
The Sekhukhune United development coach has been relegated to lead the Zimbabwe Under-20 side after being at the 2025 AFCON finals as Marinica’s assistant.
The 65-year-old will be assisted by Takesure Chiragwi, who has been part of the national team set-up in recent years. Catala’s technical team will also include another Spaniard, Marc Sanchez, as his assistant coach, who will also serve as the Zimbabwe Under-23 head coach.
A fitness trainer for the better part of his football career, Catala’s appointment has drawn mixed reactions in Zimbabwe. He was a fitness coach at La Liga sides RCD Espanyol, Celta Vigo, Espanyol, Osasuna and Real Zaragoza, working under the likes of Mauricio Pochettino and Ernesto Valverde, according to Transfermarkt.
He worked in the same capacity at Qatari Stars League outfit Al Rayyan and Japanese side JEF United Chiba. But Catala also switched positions when he took a job at Dynamo Kyiv as academy manager before becoming technical director of the Libyan Football Federation.
He has also previously worked with the Nicaragua national side, and his last job was as Mirghany Al Zein’s assistant manager at Al Sailiya SC.
CATALA’S IMMEDIATE ZIMBABWE ASSIGNMENT
Catala’s immediate task is to help the Warriors qualify for the 2027 AFCON. Zimbabwe are in Group E of the qualifiers together with DR Congo, Sierra Leone and Equatorial Guinea.
His first official task will be on September 23 when the Warriors travel to Sierra Leone, before hosting the DR Congo’s Leopards four days later. Catala will cap off 2026 with a visit to Equatorial Guinea in November, followed by a home clash against the Central African Republic during the same FIFA international window.
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