ZIFA have thrown their full support for under-fire Warriors coach  Zdravko Logarušić after the national team’s shambolic CHAN 2021 campaign.

The Croat became the first foreign coach to lead the country’s senior men’s national soccer team at a continental tournament but his charges were on the early flight back home after three consecutive defeats in Group A and scored just one goal- Partson Jaure’s stunner in the 1-3 defeat to Burkina Faso.

Logarušić came under scrutiny for the team’s performance, especially considering that he is yet to oversee a victory in the Warriors dugout since his appointment in February but ZIFA board member Brighton Malandule defended the coach, saying poor preparations as well as lack of competitive football, and not his alleged technical incompetence, can better explain the early exit from the biannual showpiece, reserved for local-based players.

“I don’t want to speak for the technical team but people should not forget that we had no preparations for CHAN to speak about,” he told The Sunday Mail.

“Football was only opened for the Malawi friendly, AFCON qualifiers, and COSAFA preparations.

“Only towards December were clubs allowed to train,” he added.