Zimbabwe fire coach after Nations Cup failure

HARARE, June 21 (Reuters) Zimbabwe have fired coach Charles Mhlauri after their failure to qualify for the African Nations Cup finals, the Zimbabwe Football Association said today.

Mhlauri and six other national team officials were all dismissed following the defeat in Morocco earlier this month which ended their hopes of qualifying for the tournament in Ghana in January.

Mhlauri, who had been in charge since October 2004, took Zimbabwe to the last Nations Cup finals in Egypt. He also won the 2005 Cosafa Castle Cup with the country.

In his 32 matches in charge, Zimbabwe compiled a record of 11 wins, 11 draws and 10 losses.

REUTERS BJR RN1758