Sunday Marimo has become Zimbabwe's third national team coach in the past eight months, following the firing of Wieslaw Grabowski.

Grabowski was suspended by the FA after his first game in charge, a 2-0 home defeat to Swaziland, and has now been off-loaded.

Marimo, a former defender with the national team, is widely regarded as Zimbabwe's most talented local coach, having taken Dynamos to the final of the 1998 Champions League.

He resigned from Dynamos the following year after defeats in their first two Champions League group matches, and has not been involved in coaching since then.

"The FA were after me for some time and I got a lot of pressure from the public to accept the job, so I gave in to the pressure," said Marimo.

Zimbabwe's fans are desperate for a debut appearance at the Nations Cup, so Marimo will have little room for error, but he is cautiously optimistic.

"I've rested for more than two years now, and I'm ready for the challenge, but I'm slightly hesitant."

"It's just like club football, if we put our heads together and work hard it can be done."

Marimo's brother, Misheck, coached Zimbabwe for two years but failed to take the Warriors to the Nations Cup finals.

He was fired after Zimbabwe were beaten by Angola in the final of the Cosafa Cup last September.