Online Reporter
Zimpapers Sports Hub
ZIFA last night finally wielded the axe on under-performing Warriors coach Michael Nees, with the association resolving after a marathon meeting to send the German gaffer packing.
This means the Warriors will now have a new man in charge when they take to the field at the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations tournament in Morocco in December.
Sources last night said a meeting between the ZIFA executive and their technical committee had lasted long, ending shortly before 10pm after which the association eventually resolved that Nees would not be the man to take Zimbabwe forward.
ZIFA are now expected to name the German coach’s replacement by early next week.
His dismissal immediately sparked widespread social media debate and speculation over his possible successor.
ZIFA had last month appointed Kaitano Tembo as an assistant, but it was not immediately clear if the association would now hand over the reigns to the former SuperSport United gaffer.
There are also strong indications that ZIFA will immediately advertise for the post and engagement of another foreigner to take over cannot be ruled out.
Nees’ contract was terminated with immediate effect, bringing an abrupt close to a tenure critics say wasted precious time and drained belief from a team once built on pride and fight.
In a statement, ZIFA confirmed the decision, thanking the 57-year-old German for his “efforts and contributions” but offering no illusions about his future with the national side.
“ZIFA remains firmly committed to strengthening its technical development programmes and ensuring continued progress in all areas of the game in line with its reform and restructuring agenda,” read the communiqué issued by the Association’s Media and Communications Department. Nees, appointed by Lincoln Mutasa’s Normalisation Committee, took over the Warriors in July 2024, promising to modernise Zimbabwe’s football philosophy.
What followed was a win-less World Cup qualifying run that exposed his tactical naivety and the team’s growing disconnect from its fans. His six qualifiers yielded no victories, three draws and as many defeats.
The Warriors were also impotent during his tenure, scoring just three goals and conceding six to finish bottom of Group C behind pool winners South Africa, Nigeria, Benin, Rwanda and Lesotho. Throughout his year in charge, Nees divided opinion with his dismissive tone and habit of lowering expectations.
He regularly described Zimbabwe’s struggles as “a building process” and labelled qualification for AFCON 2025 “an over achievement”, comments that infuriated supporters who demanded ambition, not excuses.
Even Premier Soccer League coaches bristled.
Former CAPS United coach Lloyd Chitembwe once branded Nees “a clown” after a public row over player call ups, accusing him of arrogance and inconsistency.
Nees arrived talking about German structure and discipline. He, however, leaves with statistics that tell a different story, 12 competitive matches, two wins (both against Namibia), six draws and four defeats. What was sold as a long term rebuild turned into 12 months of stagnation. The Warriors looked timid, predictable and stripped of belief, their famed resilience replaced by sideways passing and soft defeats.
ZIFA say it will soon announce interim technical arrangements as part of its “reform and restructuring agenda”. But with 2027 AFCON qualifiers on the horizon, time is again the enemy. For now, Nees leaves behind the wreckage of another failed experiment, a foreign coach who talked of progress but delivered paralysis.
You will change Warriors coaches like underwear. Watch the space! The problem is not with coaches. ZIFA can hire a team made up of Carlo Ancelotti, Jurgen Klop, Mikael Arteta, Pep Guardiola and Jose Mourinho to coach the current Warriors team and they will fail. Our problem is lack of quality players not coaches. The country needs at least ten years of player development before football begins to improve.