dyton mupawaenda
Tadious Manyepo
Zimpapers Sports Hub
WARRIORS coach Michael Nees expects his players to perform and recommend themselves for the Africa Cup of Nations when they engage in the upcoming 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers to be played throughout this year.
Zimbabwe sealed their Nations Cup place last year, but the finals, scheduled for Morocco, will only be staged in December, overlapping into January next year.
For now, all the Warriors’ focus will be on mending a World Cup campaign that got off to a horrible start, with Nees now set to be the third coach to take charge of the Group qualifiers.
The German coach will tomorrow name his squad for fixtures against Benin in South Africa and Nigeria in Uyo.
Nees took over a Warriors side, sitting at the foot of the six-team Group C with only two points secured by Brazilian coach Baltemar Brito when he had draws against Rwanda and Nigeria and Huye.
The Warriors were left searching for their first win in the qualifiers after Jairos Tapera presided over defeats to Lesotho and South Africa in South Africa, effectively falling five points behind surprise leaders Rwanda.
Now Zimbabwe needs to turn things around when they host Benin at Moses Mabhida in Durban on March 20 before travelling to Nigeria, where they will play the Super Eagles in Uyo five days later.
While they will try to pick up key points and force their way back into the qualification bid, which Nees says is key, the 57-year-old gaffer wants the players to also use the platform to prove they can fit into the Nations Cup matrix.
“The AFCON is only nine months away, and the preparation basically starts immediately.
“Every game counts for the players. The World Cup qualification will be a hybrid project where we are chasing qualification as well as preparing for the AFCON finals,’’ Nees said.
“Players can recommend themselves for the AFCON. The competition is open, so they want to be there.
“And so, on one hand, it’s a preparation for the AFCON finals, while on the other hand, it’s the qualification for the World Cup as well.
Nees also underscored the importance of both the World Cup qualifiers and the AFCON, where there is no room for trying to nurture talent.
“It’s not a development thing; we have to perform.” The German said Zimbabwe are not far off the pace and can as well find their way to the top if they perform well in the remaining qualifiers.
“It’s a very tight group; there are still six games to go and 18 points to play for.
“The group is not decided yet for any team; that’s it, the team in first place can easily go down.
“We have got to rise up. The group is not decided yet, and that’s for sure. And even if the group was decided, every team has the responsibility to compete until the final game with the best and maximum effort because you need to ensure fair competition.
“And now is the main project. It’s the World Cup qualification, but the second project is like preparation already on for the AFCON.
“We have to restart that World Cup qualification in a positive way. We want to do that, to get the positive mood going, and to do everything in our power to turn the table a little bit around, turn the page, and move up.
“And that’s our approach, and now we have to look at what is the next task at hand.”
He said they have already analysed both Benin and Nigeria as he seeks to lead the Warriors through to qualification and maintained his respect for both teams.
“The next task at hand is a difficult game against Benin. Benin beat Nigeria. Benin played a draw against Nigeria. Benin qualified for the AFCON.
“Also, they have a very experienced coach, Gernot Rohr, who I have known for 30 years, and he comes from my country.
“We are close friends, you could say. But friendship will not play a role in this 90-plus minutes,” added Nees.
Rohr is also a former Super Eagles coach and was Nigeria’s longest-serving manager, having taken charge of the West African giants between August 2016 and December 12, 2021.
Online Reporter