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IN just three months’ time, the Warriors will be back in action in another Nations Cup adventure when we host Liberia in the first of a number of battles in our quest to qualify for the next tournament in Cameroon. It’s a tougher campaign than the one in which we dominated our group by thrashing lightweights Malawi and Swaziland to qualify for the 2017 AFCON finals in Gabon.

Now, we have to negotiate our way past the challenge that will be offered by the Democratic Republic of Congo who, in the past two AFCON finals, have finished third and also reached the quarter-finals, and who have a number of players playing at top clubs in Europe.

We also have to find a way to beat the highly competitive Congo-Brazzaville and, those who know their football well, concede that it’s a very tough assignment for our Warriors as we try to book back-to-back appearances at Africa’s biggest football festival.

Therefore, against that background, there is need for us to ensure that we prepare adequately for those assignments and ensure that, when we plunge into battle, our boys will be able to punch above our weight because that is exactly what we need if we are to succeed this time around in this tough group.

But, we are concerned that — just three months before our first game against Liberia — our Warriors don’t have a coach following ZIFA’s decision not to extend Callisto Pasuwa’s contract after our boys crashed out in the group stages of the 2017 AFCON finals in Gabon.

And even more worryingly is that we don’t seem to be getting any sense of urgency from our football leaders in terms of their quest to try and get a competent replacement who will have the tough task of not only emulating Pasuwa, by taking us to another AFCON finals, but ensuring that we do better in the event we qualify for Cameroon.

We don’t even know who will provide the funding for the package of the coach after ZIFA ran into problems with servicing Pasuwa’s salary amid reports that the coach went for months without being paid.

The last official comments related to the new coach who will take charge of our Warriors came from ZIFA president vice-president, Omega Sibanda, who told the media the Association’s leadership will sit soon to discuss this very important issue.

But, since then, it has all been quiet from our football leaders, with regards who will be the man tasked with leading our boys, with all the buzz that is coming from there, at the moment, seemingly centred on ZIFA president Philip Chiyangwa’s audacious bid to unseat CAF boss Issa Hayatou from his position in Ethiopia on March 16.

We have already made it clear that we support Chiyangwa’s bid to ensure that Hayatou, whom we accuse of doing nothing to help the cause of Southern African football, is shown the exit because the Cameroonian strongman has overstayed his welcome and the time has come for fresh ideas to run the game on the continent.

We are cheered that, just about every day, a number of countries which, normally would have chosen to be silent because of fear of possible repercussions, have now lost the fear that used to enslave them, when it comes to the CAF elections, and are now speaking publicly of their desire to get Hayatou out of the seat.

Yesterday, the Sierra Leone football leaders revealed that they will back the man challenging Hayatou for the CAF presidency, Ahmad Ahmad, in another crucial twist given that the majority of West African nations have long been considered to be the power base of the Cameroonian.

But we also believe that while Chiyangwa should be fighting on the continental front, he should also remember the Warriors badly need his attention because he is their leader and he should provide them with a competent coach who will ensure that our boys are in the best possible shape to confront the tough challenges that will come with a difficult qualifying path.

This week, Joey Antipas, who won the domestic league title with Chicken Inn two years ago before being lured to South Africa by Amazulu, revealed he would consider the Warriors’ job if offered the post, but made it clear that he hasn’t been approached yet.

Bruce Grobbelaar, the Dream Team goalkeeper who briefly coached the Warriors in the ‘90s, also told us he is ready to leave his job in Canada, where he has been based for some time now, and come home and coach the Warriors.

Clearly, there is huge interest in the Warriors’ job because our team is viewed as one that is progressing well, with a number of players who can only get better, and the onus is now on the leaders to get the right man.

And, sadly, time isn’t on their side.