Nomsa ‘Boyz’ Moyo on Warriors and Nees

FORMER Mighty Warriors midfielder and captain Nomsa “Boys” Moyo has challenged the country’s football stakeholders to put their weight behind Warriors coach, Michael Nees and his charges saying they need everyone’s support if they are to continue doing well.

Moyo, a veteran of many Mighty Warriors battles, made the sentiments following the Warriors five-star back to back performances against Kenya and Cameroon in their 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (Afcon) qualification Group J matches that were played at Uganda’s Mandela National Stadium in a space of four days.

After a nil-all draw against the Harambee Stars of Kenya played last Friday, new Warriors gaffer Nees saw his charges refuse to be bullied by a star-studded Cameroon in another match that ended goalless.

However, the Warriors’ match against Cameroon left many feeling the country’s flagship football team could have won, as they played with a true statement of intent as compared to the Indomitable Lions who have conquered Africa five-times.

Courtesy of the stalemates, the Warriors are placed third in the group standings while the Indomitable Lions are sitting second in the Group J table, having recorded a win and a draw.

“I think we have a great start in this campaign under a new coach (Michael Nees). I am happy that the boys showed signs of understanding the coach’s playing philosophy in a short space of time. They played as a unit under a new system and collecting two points is not bad at all. We should remain focused and not lose hope as we are yet to play Namibia. I know some people are fond of finding negative things in a project but I think this is not the time,” said Moyo.

She added: “In the game against Cameroon, we were playing home away from home and imagine if it was in front of our crowd, the boys could have naturally pushed extra hard for that positive result.

“Nees and his boys now need everyone’s support from coaches, current and former players, supporters, journalists and above all the corporate world,” said Moyo who boasts of over 100 caps and 96 goals for her country.

Ardent local and international football follower,Cathrine Mkhwananzi said it was pleasing to see the Warriors showcase a five-star performance against a highly-rated Cameroon.

“In the game against Kenya, I can say they didn’t give their all. For the game against Cameroon, it was a breathtaking show from all the players. They played with so much purpose and I’m glad the match statistics can testify to that. Out of a scale of 10, I give them seven. We failed to score in both matches meaning that we need to work on our strike force. We really have a quality team and a seemingly good coach who should be given more time with the boys,” said Mkhwananzi.

While admitting that the Warriors did well in their two matches played in Uganda, ex-senior national team head coach, Jairos Tapera underscored that his predecessor was bound to do well in charge of the senior national soccer team as he was afforded an ideal training camp.

“I think this was one of the well-organised camps for the Warriors after a longtime. I can say they got the adequate time to bond and train under a new coach.

“With us, it was a different ball altogether, we could not train with a full squad for maybe one day as some players could come late. We would sometimes not train for one reason or another among other challenges. Nees and his boys had a very good game against Kenya, which gave us the direction of how we were going to play against Cameroon. It was a job well done,” he said.

Tapera and Takesure Chiragwi were at the helm when the Warriors fell to Lesotho and South Africa in the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying matches that were both played in South Africa.

The two gaffers were also in charge of the country’s flagship football team in the 2024 Cosafa Cup tournament which they exited interestingly after being floored by Kenya when it mattered most.

Tapera’s men needed just a point to progress to the semi-finals but in the end the task appeared too heavy for the Warriors.
Chiragwi remains the first assistant coach in the Warriors technical setup.-@FungaiMuderere