Langton Nyakwenda
WARRIORS coach Michael Nees is feeling fresh and re-energised after a “splendid holiday” with his family.
The German gaffer had a busy family schedule between December and January.
He went to Cape Town, where his wife’s family resides, before flying out to Germany to check on his parents “who are getting very old now”.
Nees also spent three days at the majestic Victoria Falls as he wound down after a largely successful 2024 during which he guided Zimbabwe to the Africa Cup of Nations finals.
He is back in the country and ready for work as Zimbabwe brace for the World Cup qualifiers, which return in March.
But Nees obviously has one eye on the AFCON finals in Morocco in December.
He attended the draw held in Rabat last Monday and is confident Zimbabwe can hold their own against seven-time champions Egypt, neighbours South Africa and the unpredictable Angola.
In Rabat, Nees also had a chance to chat with new ZIFA president, Nqobile Magwizi.
“You know, when I am here in Zimbabwe, everything revolves around football, that’s the nature of the job because you also enjoy what you are doing.
“But it’s very important for one’s health to switch off, re-energise and get new and fresh ideas.
“So, I was travelling around seeing family. I also visited Vic Falls; it’s a wonder, I must tell you.
“Zimbabwe is a very beautiful country.
“But I am back, and it’s back to action right away,” he said.
In Morocco, Nees had a “very good exchange” with Magwizi, which he thinks was important in setting the tone for a hectic year.
“I am actually excited.
“There were lots of people at the draw, so it’s not like we sat down for one or two hours.
“However, from that short conversation, I’m very positive Zimbabwe can really drive in a positive direction,” said the German.
Zimbabwe has two World Cup qualifiers coming up in March.
They will play Benin (home) and Nigeria (away) during the first international break of the year, which runs between March 17 and 24.
The Warriors also have to prepare for the AFCON finals.
“It’s a double project.
“On one hand, we have to develop towards the AFCON finals while, on the other, we have to immediately perform well in the World Cup qualifiers,” Nees added.
This conflicting goal could cause problems, but Nees hopes they will manage it by taking things step-by-step and doing their best.
“It’s sort of a contradiction and sometimes it could bite us, but we have to manage.
“Let’s do the job as good as possible and take it step-by-step.”
The German reiterated that Zimbabwe still have a chance, although “very slim”, to turn things around in the World Cup qualifiers.
Zimbabwe anchor Group C with two points from four matches.
Rwanda, South Africa and Benin are joint leaders with seven points apiece.
Lesotho are on five points while Nigeria have three.
The top team from the group automatically qualifies for the 2026 World Cup finals to be held in three North American countries — the United States, Canada and Mexico.
“We still have a chance in the World Cup qualifiers, I’m convinced,” says Nees.
Zimbabwe have never been to the World Cup.
Their closest attempt was in 1993; they were only one game short of a landmark appearance at the 1994 finals hosted in the US.
They were knocked out by Cameroon in the final elimination round.
And it looks like the wait could prolong for Zimbabwe, who had a horrible start to the 2026 qualifiers last year.
They drew against Rwanda and Nigeria in their opening two qualifiers before succumbing to defeats against Lesotho and South Africa.
Nees was not yet in charge by then, and the German is now trying to mend the broken pieces.
“There are still six games to play, 18 points to play for,” he reckons.
“As a sportsperson, you have to fight until the end. You always want to give your best.
“Whatever comes, we will do our best. The group is not decided yet but we are complete outsiders.”
After playing Benin and Nigeria in March, Zimbabwe will return to World Cup action in September and October.
But talk about the AFCON finals in December is already dominating.
And Nees — who is targeting to reach the knockout stage — thinks he will have enough time to prepare the Warriors for the task.
He is happy the long period between now and December will also give him a chance to widen the player base.
Zimbabwe will also play South Africa in a World Cup qualifier in October, in what could be a dress rehearsal for the AFCON Limpopo derby.
Although Bafana Bafana coach Hugo Broos has dismissed Zimbabwe as a threat, Nees has declared that the Warriors will not go down without a real fight.
“At the end of the day, we must be able to look in the mirror and say we did our best, we tried everything,” he said.
His team’s goal, he said, is to progress to the second round of the AFCON finals and then see how far they can go.
“We need to peak at the AFCON finals, not before, but the problem now is to match the World Cup qualification and preparation for the AFCON finals.
“That’s why I say it’s a double project.”
Nees acknowledges World Cup qualifiers are crucial and not for development, but believes they can still turn things around.
“We cannot say we want to develop using the World Cup qualifiers, because those are real matches and every match counts.
“Everything is not lost in the World Cup qualifiers; we can still turn the ship around. We have to perform well also.
“We have World Cup qualifiers in September and October, which we can use to develop towards AFCON. The key is to make sure we organise everything. We need to have resilience when things don’t go our way.
“We do not need to panic.”
Zimbabwe’s group has been described by some as the COSAFA group, as it has three nations from the bloc.
Some have christened it the Group of Death.
Veteran African football journalist Thomas Kwenaite is looking forward to the derby between Bafana Bafana and the Warriors.
“They (Zimbabwe) are quite a formidable side now, and this is a Limpopo derby. This will be very tough,” said Kwenaite on Soccer Africa, a football programme hosted by Thomas Mlambo on SuperSport every Thursday.
Former Warriors coach Tom Saintfiet also thinks Zimbabwe will do well at the AFCON finals.
“Group B is very tough, but never underestimate Zimbabwe,” said Saintfiet, on Soccer Africa.
Nees also took his time to run the rule on Group B.
The German worked for years at the South African Football Association (SAFA) and has some knowledge on how Bafana Bafana operate.
“I think there are no secrets among the three COSAFA teams.
“Of course, I know South Africa very well, from a personal point of view and also from a professional point of view.
“We play against them in a World Cup qualifier in October, then two months later at the AFCON.
“But knowing them doesn’t automatically mean acting, and acting doesn’t mean automatically being successful. It’s not an automatic chain,” he said.
Nees further acknowledges South Africa as a challenging team, also citing Egypt as a formidable opponent.
“I know a little bit more about the mentality of South Africa, but it’s a challenging group.
“Egypt, currently ranked third in Africa, record champions and they have maybe the best player in the English Premier League, Mohamed Salah.
“Then maybe one of the most promising strikers in Europe, that is Omar Marmoush, plus many other good players
“We will expect the best Egypt; they don’t leave anything to chance. It’s not by accident they were seeded top.”
Nees believes Bafana Bafana have been improving since their semi-final appearance at the last AFCON. He notes that most of their players are based in South Africa, which makes it easy for them to regroup.
“Then we have Bafana Bafana; they turned the corner at the last AFCON, where they reached the semis. Since then, they have been progressing.
“Most of their players, if not 90 percent, play in South Africa, so it won’t be difficult for them to regroup.
“They have an experienced coach in Broos; very calm, so we can really expect a tough derby.”
Nees is yet to thoroughly analyse Angola but he knows the Palancas Negras possess some skilful players.
They qualified for AFCON without tasting a defeat.
Angola reached the last eight at the 2023 AFCON finals.
“They have very skilful players, a little bit influenced by their Portuguese colonial past, which has a little Brazilian flair as well.
“But I don’t want to make them look bigger than they are. They will also be looking at us with a certain perspective.
“Group B is a challenging game and I think it will be decided in the last round. It could get very tight but it’s an exciting challenge that we accept with pleasure.
“We have to prepare well and make sure we bring maximum performance on the pitch,” said Nees.
