Online Reporter
Sports Reporter
THIERRY Katsukunya is one of the players Warriors coach Michael Nees is expected to meet during his ongoing European tour aimed at engaging with diaspora players and convincing them to represent Zimbabwe.
Born in the United Kingdom to a Zimbabwean father and a Welsh mother, Katsukunya is presently on the books of English Premier League side Aston Villa playing for their junior teams.
He joined the club in November 2021 at the age of 16, making the move across the Midlands from Coventry City, where he had been since 2014.
On 23 September 2022, Aston Villa announced that Katsukunya had signed his first professional contract with the club.
He plays as a centre-back.
Although Katsukunya has represented Wales at Under-17 level, he remains eligible to play for Zimbabwe through his paternal roots.
Coach Michael Nees is believed to have embarked on a tour of Europe as part of a mission to connect with UK-born players eligible for Zimbabwe’s senior men’s national soccer team. Nees is said to have arrived in England last week and met with some players alongside Zifa Global and Diaspora Committee Chairperson, Marshall Gore.
Captains Marvellous Nakamba, who features for Luton Town in the Championship, and vice-captain Marshall Munetsi, who recently joined Premier League outfit Wolverhampton Wanderers together Zifa president Nqobile Magwizi are believed to have also been part of the delegation meeting players.
Among the players expected to be engaged are promising young talents such as Trey Nyoni and Isaac Mabaya (Liverpool Academy), Lucien Mahovo (Norwich City), Leon Chiwome (Wolves), Shumaira Mheuka (Chelsea Academy), and Camron Mpofu (Manchester United Academy). Some of these youngsters, including Nyoni, Mabaya, and Mheuka, are presently involved with England’s junior national teams.
This initiative aligns with Zifa’s broader strategy to integrate diaspora talent ahead of the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon), which kicks off in Morocco on December 21.
Zimbabwe were drawn into a formidable Group B at the upcoming Afcon, widely labelled the “Group of Death.” They will face regional rivals South Africa, fellow southern African nation Angola, and six-time African champions Egypt.
The Warriors’ clash against Bafana Bafana will renew a fierce rivalry, especially as both teams are also in the same group for the 2026 Fifa World Cup Qualifiers. Their Afcon fixture will be the second meeting between the two sides this year.
