admin
Langton Nyakwenda
Sports Reporter
GERMAN expatriate coach Michael Nees flew into the country yesterday afternoon ahead of his official unveiling by ZIFA this morning.
Nees will then immediately assume his duties as the senior national football team coach.
The 57-year-old Nees was appointed Warriors coach on July 30 but was yet to report for duty as his work permit papers were still to be processed.
ZIFA revealed that his papers are now in order and the German, who has been consulting with the technical director Jethro Hunidzarira and FIFA Board manager Kudzi Chitima, is now expected to announce the squad for the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Kenya and Cameroon.
Zimbabwe will begin their quest for a place at the 2025 AFCON tournament in Morocco with a date against Kenya’s Harambee Stars in a Pool J qualifier at the Mandela National Stadium in Kampala, Uganda on September 6.
Kenya are hosting their matches in Kampala because their stadiums are being renovated.
Similarly, the Warriors do not have a stadium to host their matches and will receive Cameroon at the same venue in Kampala on September 10.
“Both matches will be held at the Mandela National Stadium in Kampala, Uganda, and will mark the first competitive outings for the Warriors under the leadership of newly appointed head coach Michael Nees,” wrote the ZIFA in a brief statement yesterday.
While confirming the arrival of Nees, ZIFA chief executive officer, Yvonne Manwa, also assured that the German’s work permit papers were in order.
“On the issue of squad announcement we will have to hear from the coach, for now, he is doing the formalities and settling in,” added Manwa.
There were indications last night that ZIFA are trying to lure former Warriors defender and vice-captain Kaitano Tembo to come in as Nees’ assistant.
After taking charge of the marathon AFCON qualifiers, Nees will then turn his attention to guiding Zimbabwe in the remainder of the faltering FIFA 2026 World Cup qualifiers.
Nees holds a UEFA Pro License from Germany and an M.A degree in Sports Science, Performance Physiology, and Ethnology from the University of Heidelberg.
Additionally, he has acquired a coaching qualification in Life Kinetik, a unique training methodology introduced to football by former Liverpool manager Jürgen Klopp.
“Over the past 25 years, Michael Nees has held elite coaching and technical leadership positions across CAF, UEFA, and AFC.
“He has guided various national teams in over 200 international matches.
“Notably, in 2005 and 2006, he was part of the support staff for the England national team during the FIFA World Cup 2006 in Germany, under the auspices of FIFA,” read a statement from ZIFA when they appointed the German, who also briefly coached Rwanda.
Zimbabwe has a long history with German coaches.
The late Reinhard Fabisch ignited football interest in the country with his Dream Team project in the early 1990s.
Fabisch’s Warriors came within just a game to qualify for the 1994 World Cup finals in the United States of America.
ZIFA also had the late German Rudi Gutendorf on their books before Klaus Dieter Pagels came to Zimbabwe as ZIFA technical advisor in 2011 following his secondment to the association by the German Olympic Committee.
Pagels was then appointed interim coach the following year after Rahman Gumbo (late) resigned following the failed 2013 AFCON qualifying campaign.
The German took over the 2014 World Cup qualification process and presided over matches against Guinea and Egypt.
The baton has now been passed to Nees, who now has a few weeks before he plunges into his first assignment with the Warriors.
Online Reporter