Zimbabwe have named Marian Marinica as their new coach some six weeks before heading to the Africa Cup of Nations finals, giving him a one-year contract, the country’s football association said on Tuesday.

The 60-year-old from Romania, who began as a junior coach at Leyton Orient in England, has taken charge of two African national teams previously — Malawi, at the 2021 Cup of Nations finals in Cameroon, and Liberia, who fired him midway through the 2025 Cup of Nations qualifiers one year ago.

Marinica replaces German coach Michael Nees, whom Zimbabwe sacked after they failed to win a game in their 2026 World Cup qualifying campaign, which ended last month.

Zimbabwe compete in Group B at the Cup of Nations and begin their campaign against Egypt in Agadir on December 22. They also face Angola and neighbours South Africa in the group.