Online Reporter
Howard Musonza, Head, Zimpapers Sports Hub
MICHAEL Nees has named his 24-man Warriors squad for the September World Cup qualifiers against Benin and Rwanda. But beneath the headline lies a midfield crisis that could unravel Zimbabwe’s campaign before a ball is even kicked.
Veteran goalkeeper Washington Arubi (39) returns alongside Elvis Chipezeze and Martin Mapisa. The defence features familiar names — Teenage Hadebe, Jordan Zemura, Divine Lunga and Munashe Garananga. Up front, Tino Kadewere and Terrence Dzvukamanja are recalled despite mixed form, with Knowledge Musona and Walter Musona also included. The squad’s fresh edge comes from youngsters Jonah Fabisch, Sean Fusire, Prosper Padera, and 22-year-old striker Thando Ngwenya.
Khama Billiat and Marley Tavaziva miss out through injury, while Andy Rinomhota has been omitted as he finalises a club move. Yet the real concern lies in midfield, traditionally the heartbeat of the Warriors. Vice-captain Marshal Munetsi is suspended for the Benin clash after accumulating yellow cards. His absence removes the engine of Zimbabwe’s midfield — the one player who combines power, drive and leadership. He’ll only return for the Rwanda game four days later.
That leaves captain Marvelous Nakamba (31) to anchor the team. But Nakamba is far from match fit. At Luton Town, under new coach Matt Bloomfield, his last senior appearance was a nine-minute cameo in April. Earlier this month, he managed just 45 minutes for the Under-21s against Leyton Orient — his first outing in nearly four months.
Bloomfield was candid: “Marv’s working his way back to full fitness. He’s got 45 minutes under his belt. He can’t train every day because of a knee injury, so we’ve had to take it slow with him. He’s just a little bit away from his full fitness right now.”
This is the man Nees is relying on to hold together a midfield that will face Benin’s physicality in Abidjan on September 5. Compounding the gamble is the omission of Aboubakar Moffart. The MWOS midfielder has been one of the most commanding players in the Castle Lager Premiership since returning from Spain — strong in the tackle, composed on the ball, and relentless in work rate. His absence has baffled many.
When asked on The Couch whether Moffart could match up to his chosen midfielders, Nees dismissed the idea.
“Sorry, these three players (Nakamba, Munetsi, Rinomhota) are a little higher level than him.” He doubled down: “I saw him in training at Scottland. I also saw him at MWOS. But let me be honest, he was playing sixth division in Spain. He didn’t make it to professional football, I’m sorry to tell you that. People must make good choices in their career. If you are many years in the sixth division, it will be a waste of time.”
Pressed again, Nees offered no clarity.
“He is a player very easy to judge . . . but I’m not telling you if I select him or not. There is no chance that you will get feedback about that.”
The truth is clear: Nees does not rate him. And by leaving him out, he has judged him unworthy — while choosing an unfit Nakamba to lead a midfield already stripped of Munetsi.
Into that vacuum step Jonah Fabisch, Sean Fusire and Prosper Padera — three young midfielders thrust into the spotlight. All three were blooded in June’s friendlies against Burkina Faso and Niger. They are promising, but raw.
None has ever carried the pressure of competitive qualifiers of this magnitude. It means Zimbabwe will likely walk into Abidjan with a lightweight midfield: Nakamba short of sharpness, flanked by players still learning the ropes.
Against Benin’s bruising engine room, it is a dangerous imbalance.
Up front, all eyes are on Thando Ngwenya. The 22-year-old striker forced his way into the squad after a breakthrough Cosafa tournament in June. Since then, he has joined AmaZulu in South Africa and hit the ground running — scoring a brace in the KZN Premier Cup before netting the winner on his league debut against Sekhukhune United. For a side that has scored just five goals in six qualifiers, Ngwenya is the wild card. Nees is gambling that his momentum can carry into Abidjan and Johannesburg.
Group C is unforgiving. South Africa lead on 13 points. Rwanda and Benin follow on eight, Nigeria have seven, Lesotho six. Zimbabwe sit last on four. Everyone else has managed a win. Zimbabwe haven’t.
They’ve drawn four, lost two, scored five, and conceded nine. Now they must beat Benin in Abidjan on September 5 and Rwanda in Johannesburg on September 9 to stay alive.
Nees insists the Warriors are not finished.
“We are not yet out of the World Cup. If we win all four games, we would come to 16 points. That could be a playoff spot,” he told me. It is optimism bordering on delusion. Zimbabwe have not won a single qualifier in this campaign.
They were beaten 2–0 by Lesotho, outclassed 3–1 by South Africa, and needed late equalisers to draw with Nigeria and Benin.
When pressed about targets, Nees snapped back: “Our objective is not to daydream. We want to come to the second round (at Afcon) and then take it match by match. If you put the end target at the beginning, you achieve nothing . . . anybody who has just a big mouth will fall very deep on this floor.”
That is the contradiction of Michael Nees — mocking “daydreamers” one moment, while dreaming aloud of four straight wins the next.
The other sliver of hope is South Africa’s potential sanction for fielding suspended midfielder Teboho Mokoena against Lesotho. If Bafana Bafana are docked points, the table could shift. Nees has already hinted this might be a lifeline.
“If the chance arises from the results that we can grab maybe a playoff spot, then grab it with both hands,” he said.
But relying on Fifa’s disciplinary committee is not a plan. It is desperation. Zimbabweans are tired of pulling out calculators and waiting for permutations. They want wins. Nees was hired to deliver them, ahead of other candidates like Spaniard Gerard Nus, veteran German Winfried Schäfer, Antoine Hey and Brazilian Marcio Maximo Barcellos.
Instead, he risks hiding behind mathematics and excuses.
This squad has potential — Ngwenya rising, Hadebe and Zemura steady, Arubi bringing experience. But its spine is broken. Munetsi is out, Nakamba is not fit, Rinomhota is absent, Moffart ignored, and Fabisch, Fusire and Padera are still learning the ropes.
Nees insists “our team plays good football.” The log table says otherwise. He talks of miracles and playoff spots. The reality is Zimbabwe have not won once. If the Warriors collapse in Abidjan or Johannesburg, it won’t be fate. It will be the cost of a coach’s contradictions, and a midfield gamble that was doomed from the start.
Dreams are cheap. Wins are not.
