Soccer, sadza and tripe: Nees’ tasting menu

Langton Nyakwenda

IT is exactly 45 days since Michael Nees was unveiled as the Zimbabwe senior football team coach and the German expatriate looks like someone settling in well in Harare.

Although he has not yet been to other prominent cities like Bulawayo, Gweru and Mutare, Nees seems to be enjoying his stay.

He has been sampling some local dishes, including sadza with tripe, but he says the latter has not been that nice to him.

“I have tried it (tripe) but, hey, it has not been that nice to me. But sadza, I have no problem with it. Remember, I have been to several African countries,” said Nees, who has had stints in Rwanda, Seychelles and South Africa.

He has also been to several African countries as a coach educator.

“My stay in Zimbabwe so far has been very good. Every day you are discovering new things. From everything, your special food, good hospitality and all those things,” he said.

Away from the pleasantries of the rich Zimbabwean cuisines, the German knows he can spoil his fun if the Warriors do not perform well in the upcoming back-to-back 2025 Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Namibia.

Zimbabwe will be the away team in the
first of those Group J qualifiers at Orlando Stadium in Johannesburg, South Africa, on Thursday.

The Warriors will then host the Brave Warriors at the same venue the following Monday.

The Warriors are expected to start trooping into South Africa today.

Nees is yet to register a victory as the Warriors coach, having presided over two goalless draws against Kenya and Cameroon last month.

But the 57-year-old gaffer is satisfied with the progress and remains confident.

“I don’t know everything about football, but I feel confident in what I’m doing,” he said. “I am very happy, that I can tell you.”

Winless Namibia anchor Group J, while Zimbabwe are third in the four-nation group on two points.

Kenya and Cameroon are joint leaders with four points each.

Namibia lost 1-0 against the Indomitable Lions in Garoua, Cameroon, on September 7, before succumbing to a 2-1 defeat against Kenya at Orlando Stadium three days later.

Despite being winless in the AFCON campaign so far, Namibia are still rated above Zimbabwe on the latest FIFA World rankings.

Zimbabwe are number 34 in Africa, 10 places behind Namibia on the FIFA ratings released on September 19, a few days after the Warriors’ successive draws against Kenya and Cameroon.

The Brave Warriors reached the last 16 at the 2023 Nations Cup finals in Cote d’Ivoire, a feat Zimbabwe are still to achieve since independence in 1980.

It is against the background of Namibia’s improvement that Nees wants his charges to approach the two matches with caution.

“We might think we have better players than them, but we must be very careful,” warned Nees.

“That thinking is not logical. You have to give your best always regardless of the opponent.”

Zimbabwe have welcomed back skipper Marvelous Nakamba, who missed the opening qualifiers against Kenya and Cameroon due to a knee injury.

Nantes striker Tino Kadewere also missed those matches, but the former Lyon star is back in the fold.

Nees will, however, miss the services of Derby County loanee Tawanda Chirewa, who has been ruled out for at least four weeks due to a muscle tear.

Nonetheless, Zimbabwe has a cast of good players, including Yadah talisman Khama Billiat, vice captain Marshall Munetsi, Cardiff City central midfielder Andy Rinomhota and Jordan Zemura of Udinese.

Namibia, on their part, have largely remained intact over the years and most of their players ply their trade in South Africa.

Mamelodi Sundowns hitman Peter Shalulile and reliable Orlando Pirates forward Deon Hotto are their mainstays.

“But we have no right to be overconfident; self-confident, yes, but not confident,” said Nees.

“Namibia are a very difficult opponent, and this time they won’t have travelling issues whatsoever.

“They know the South African environment very well, so we need to be humble in our approach.”

After losing in Cameroon, Namibia flew back to South Africa and played Kenya within three days.

They lost 2-1 against the Harambee Stars, with Hotto, who has been a key figure for Namibia in recent years, scoring for them.

“Namibia has progressed a lot,” said Nees.

“There was a time, until maybe 10 years ago, when Namibia was a bottom team in Africa.

“But in the last 10 years, I think they have really progressed.”

Namibia have been to the AFCON finals on four occasions — in 1998, 2008, 2019 and 2023.

They were quarter-finalists at the 2018 African Nations Championship (CHAN) finals.

Namibia won the COSAFA Cup in 2015 and were runners-up in 1997, 1999, 2022 and 2024.

“It’s for Zimbabwe to study how a country like Namibia has progressed,” he said.

“In terms of play, Namibia are almost similar to Kenya on counter-attacking. They have some good players, Shalulile and Hotto, and others who can run with the ball.

“They can be very stubborn and efficient. When they played in Cameroon, they lost because of a goal that I thought was offside.

“We can expect a defensive and well-organised team. But they tend to open up sometimes. Overall, they are always tight at the back.”

The Brave Warriors defence comprises the Botswana-based duo of Ivan Kamberipa (Orapa United) and Gaborone United’s Kennedy Amutenya.

The last time Zimbabwe played Namibia in a competitive match was in July 2021, when the Warriors lost 2-0 in a COSAFA Cup first-round fixture.

Namibia had previously knocked Zimbabwe out of the 2018 CHAN qualifiers via a penalty shootout.

The Brave Warriors also hammered Zimbabwe 4-1 in a COSAFA Cup match in Moruleng, South Africa, on May 21, 2015.

The two nations were paired in the same group for the 2010 World Cup qualifiers.

Zimbabwe beat Namibia 2-0 in the first leg in Harare, before crashing to a 2-4 defeat in the return leg.

“We must not panic, we just need to put up a good performance because with a good performance, your chances of winning are high,” said Nees.