Grace Chingoma
Senior Sports Reporter
BALTEMAR Brito’s first assignment as Warriors coach will be a match against Botswana as part of the country’s Independence Day celebrations on September 30.
The Portuguese gaffer was named coach of the senior national team until June 2024.
He will be deputised by Bongani Mafu and Dynamos coach Genesis Mangombe.
Brito and Mangombe will keep their jobs at their clubs.
The Portuguese, who worked under Jose Mourinho, had emerged as a favourite for the job in recent days.
He had already expressed his interest after revealing he has settled well into this country.
The Mighty Warriors coach is expected to be named today.
The team is set to take part in the COSAFA Women’s Championships, which will run from October 4 to 15, in South Africa.
ZIFA said they were confident Brito will do well with the Warriors.
“ZIFA would like to thank Highlanders FC and Dynamos for allowing their coaches to serve the nation.
“The coaches will remain with their clubs and will be reporting for national assignments as and when required to do so.
“The association pleads for the nation’s patience as it continues with the recruitment of remaining national teams’ coaches.”
Brito was appointed head coach at C.F. Os Belenenses in the Portuguese second-tier league in June 2010 but was sacked the following month before the season had even started.
He also had stints at Al-Ittihad in Libya and Al-Dhafra in the United Arab Emirates.
In May 2013, after a series of poor results, Brito was fired by Grêmio Esportivo Osasco in the fourth-tier of the Sao Paulo State football league in Brazil.
He returned to Al-Ittihad during the 2013-14 season and the following year was an assistant at Esperance in Tunisia.
He left for Greece after one season to join AEK Athens as an assistant for the 2016-17 season.
Then in January 2018, Brito became head coach at Union Titus Pétange in the first Luxembourgish league.
He left the club in December 2018 and landed another role at Highlanders last year.