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Grace Chingoma Senior Sports Reporter
NEARLY four years after she was fired as Mighty Warriors coach, Rosemary Mugadza has bounced back as head coach of the Under-20 team.

She was relieved of her duties in September 2015 under a cloud as ZIFA, then shrouded in boardroom politics, insisted the coach was sacked due to poor performance.

Mugadza’s immediate task is to guide the Young Mighty Warriors at the COSAFA Women Championships where the developmental side will feature in the inaugural tournament for the Under-20 regional teams at Port Elizabeth, South Africa, from August 1.

The tournament will run concurrently with the senior women’s games at Nelson Mandela Bay Municipality.

Mugadza will be assisted by former Bulawayo Chiefs coach Garthly Chipuka.

The former Mighty Warriors defender’s task in Port Elizabeth will not be an easy one after the Zimbabwe junior team was drawn in a tough Group A where they will play against hosts South Africa, Namibia and Mozambique.

Mozambique have replaced Malawi who went into the hat, but are no longer going to take part in the COSAFA tournament.

And Zimbabwe will get their campaign underway on August 1 with a match against Basetsane. Then two days later they meet Mozambique before concluding their group with a tie against Namibia on August 5.

The top two teams in each group will progress to the semi-finals.

Yesterday, Mugadza refused to comment on her homecoming while ZIFA spokesperson Xolisani Gwesela insisted that he will issue out a comprehensive statement on the Young Mighty Warriors technical team by the end of the week as well as COSAFA schedule for the Mighty Warriors.

But The Herald is reliably informed that the former Mighty Warriors skipper has since been informed of the development and has been working on her squad which will be announced by the association together with the senior team squad.

The Mighty Warriors have been inactive since they featured in the COSAFA Women Championships last year in South Africa.