Newly-appointed national team coach Michael Nees has revealed his selection criteria ahead of the Warriors squad announcement.

The national side will be in action early next month when they begin their 2025 Afcon Qualifiers Group J campaign.

Zimbabwe will face Kenya on matchday one on 4 September before hosting former African champions Cameroon six days later.

Speaking at his unveiling ceremony on Thursday in Harare, Nees said his squad selection will be based on merit and will not tolerate influence from authorities or player agents seeking to interfere in team assembling.

The German gaffer said: “It’s a fact that players have representatives or agents, but they don’t make selections.

“You have to select the best possible team for your upcoming challenges, and in my previous jobs, I had no problems with them. I think we always made it clear to them that there is a line that shouldn’t be crossed.

“A player must perform on the pitch, he must show us he is able, he must show the team he commits the team.”

Nees added: “For me, the performance on the pitch is everything, nothing else, and I have no family relations or kinship relations here, so you can be assured that I can be objective.”