As the Warriors troop into camp this morning ahead of the 2025 AFCON qualifiers against Kenya and Cameroon, recently appointed coach Michael Nees, based on the research skills he demonstrated at his unveiling, ought to be aware of one stubborn fact.
The German expatriate confidently showed that he did his homework on Zimbabwean football to the point of knowing about Khama Billiat’s return home and subsequent move to Yadah, so he couldn’t have failed to find out that the Warriors last won a FIFA-sanctioned football match nearly three years ago.
18 January 2022 was the last time the country’s senior men national team emerged victorious in a FIFA-sanctioned football game, when they beat Guinea 2-1 at the AFCON finals in Cameroon.
Knowledge Musona and Kuda Mahachi —the only Zimbabwean players to score at two different editions of the continental showpiece, were on target for the Warriors while former Liverpool star Naby Keita netted Guinea’s consolation.
What followed was a 17-month long suspension from international football imposed on Zimbabwe by FIFA, for what the world governing body termed ‘third party interference.’
After the suspension was finally lifted in July 2023, the Warriors have played four FIFA-sanctioned matches and won none.
Zimbabwe, under the tutelage for Portuguese mentor Baltemar Brito, played out a goalless draw with Rwanda in the World Cup qualifiers on November 15 last year before holding African powerhouse Nigeria 1-1 in the same competition four days later.
The quest for a maiden appearance at the global extravaganza continued in June this year, with the Warriors falling to Lesotho and South Africa, under the guidance of Jairos Tapera.
Focus now shifts to the AFCON qualifiers and while it is still not clear if Nees’ immediate target is securing qualification or building a team, the German is confident the Warriors will be in Morocco rubbing shoulders with Africa’s best teams next year.
“I am a modern and innovative coach who is driven by international challenges and who can think outside the box to gain a competitive advantage,” declared Nees.
“Without a doubt, the Warriors always have great players and massive team potential, but they need to avoid being too predictable to qualify for the FIFA World Cup and the African Cup of Nations.
“I am confident in achieving these goals because I have the expertise to professionally enhance all major factors of performance and to make a difference within a short period,” he added.
No foreign coach has overseen an entire AFCON qualifying campaign which has resulted in the Warriors booking a place at the biannual tournament but ZIFA Normalisation Committee chairman Lincoln Mutasa is confident the national team will succeed under Nees.
“ZIFA is confident that Michael Nees’s arrival will usher in a new era of success for the Warriors. His vast experience and innovative coaching style make him the ideal candidate to lead our national team to new heights,” Mutasa said.