Zimbabwe has appointed Brazilian soccer veteran Baltemar Jose de Oliveira Brito as their new head coach ahead of their crucial match against Nigeria’s Super Eagles in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers, reports Soccernet.ng. Masu.
The 71-year-old Brito will have Bongani Mafu and Genesis Mangombe as assistant coaches.
Brito’s first job will be to lead the team in a friendly against Botswana on Saturday, September 30th.
But his real test awaits him on November 13 when Zimbabwe takes on Rwanda in the first match of the FIFA World Cup qualifiers.
A week later, they will play Nigeria’s Super Eagles, three-time African champions.
The Super Eagles are expected to be favorites in this competition as the focus is solely on securing a win and grabbing all three crucial points.
“He has shown he is capable and is exactly the right fit we need for big games against countries like Nigeria and South Africa,” interim chairman Lincoln Mutasa told The Associated Press . According to the Zimbabwean newspaper.
“He also has the right network to attract talented Zimbabwean footballers from around the world.”
Born in Recife, Brito had a relatively modest playing career as a central defender, representing a number of Brazilian clubs before moving to Portugal in 1974. He continued to travel and played for over five of his clubs in Portugal until his retirement in 1988.
Brito quickly turned to coaching and started at the university in the 2001/02 season. A fruitful partnership with Jose Mourinho. Leiria. This collaboration spanned his eight years, with Brito serving as Mourinho’s assistant at Porto and later also working at Chelsea.
Brito also worked as a manager, managing teams such as Portugal’s Belenenses and Brazil’s Gremio Osasco, but these experiences brought only limited success.
His coaching adventure in Africa began in 2013 when he took charge of Al Ittihad Tripoli in Libya.
Taking on the dual responsibility of managing the Zimbabwe national team and Zimbabwe Premier League side Highlanders, Brito is ready to take on his biggest challenge yet: helping Zimbabwe qualify for the World Cup for the first time in its history is now in place.
