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Tadious Manyepo

Sports Reporter
WARRIORS coach, Zdravko Logarusic, says he is not comfortable getting a salary for something he has not worked for and wants international football to bounce back as soon as possible.

He feels the successful return of the German Bundesliga at the weekend could be the cue that football around the globe, including the AFCON qualifiers, is on its way back.

The Croat hasn’t presided over any match since his appointment in January after fixtures were suspended due to the coronavirus outbreak.

He was supposed to take the local contingent of the Warriors to the CHAN finals in Cameroon, which had been scheduled for April 4-25 but had to be moved to a later date.

His first assignment was scheduled to be a blockbuster showdown, in the 2021 AFCON qualifiers, against defending champions Algeria at the end of March.

The return of the Bundesliga over the weekend, with strict adherence to safety measures including having matches without fans, has given Logarusic belief football’s return, including international matches on the continent, could be imminent.

Loga says he considered asking ZIFA to grant him time to be with his family in Croatia but decided against doing that as he remains optimistic international football will return soon.

“I will be lying if I say I have been home sick. The truth is football is my profession and I have always been praying for its return all this time,” said Loga.

“I am very hopeful that football will return soon. You know, sitting at home without football, is not normal. I am hoping that the disease is eradicated completely and we go back to our normal lifestyle with football at the centre of everything.

“Of course, I might have asked for some time off to be back in Croatia but I am always in touch with my family, and other relatives back home, and they are all fine. I wouldn’t risk going there. I just want to see football coming back.”

Loga is praying that the Bundesliga trial turns into a success story so that it instils confidence in other countries, and football’s continental governing bodies, that it’s safe for the game to resume.

“Like what I have said, my wish as a football person is not to stay home,’’ he said. “I need to be watching and coaching football.

“I just hope the Bundesliga story will instil confidence across the world and we will be allowed to lead our normal football lives again.

“I am not happy receiving the salaries which I have not worked for. I want to be coaching football. I want to be watching football. I eat football and nothing else so I can’t say anything else.”

Loga said the resumption of the local league, which has tentatively been scheduled for August or September, will be a good sign.

“You know, if the local league is back in a good way, that will definitely be a very good thing,’’ he said. “CAF could then see how best they can consider bringing back the continental competitions like CHAN.

“That will also enable me to assess more local players, the ones I have not watched. At least, if proper guidelines are taken, CAF might as well consider bringing the game back.”

Events Elsewhere

DW News, Germany’s global English language news and information channel, yesterday reported that Italy’s domestic federation FIGC have tweaked their tentative restart date for Serie A after a Prime Ministerial decree kept competitive events blocked until June 14.

“Hoping for further and positive decisions from competent authorities, (FIGC) has extended the suspension of sporting activities to June 14,” a statement read.

Government officials have so far declined to set a date for a return to full competition as they monitor the decline of contagion across the country.

Bayern Munich, Inter Milan and Real Madrid will contest a mini-league tournament “when football can be played in front of spectators again” in order to raise funds for fighting the coronavirus in Spain and Italy.

Bayern will invite 5 000 nurses, carers and doctors to their home game in honour of their doing “an outstanding job for society at the moment,” said the German record titleholder’s chair Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.