The decision by Warriors coach Michael Nees to omit key regulars from Zimbabwe’s squad for the June 6 and 8 international friendlies against Burkina Faso and Niger has thrown the team’s Afcon 2025 preparations into serious doubt.
These friendlies were expected to fine-tune the squad, build combinations, and cement a competitive core ahead of the continental showdown.
Instead, they appear to have been reduced to mere experimental exercises, with selections that raise more questions than answers.
Why are players like Marshall Munetsi, Andy Rinomhota, Jordan Zemura, and Tawanda Chirewa missing?
Regardless of the reasons, their absence calls into question the purpose of these friendlies. If these matches don’t help us build toward Afcon 2025, then why invest heavily in travel and logistics to Morocco for games that seem to serve little purpose?
This was a prime opportunity to lay a foundation for a cohesive team. But that chance appears to be slipping away, replaced by questionable selections and disjointed planning.
Equally puzzling is the outcome of the much-publicized scouting tour of the UK by Nees and Zifa president Nqobile Magwizi.
The squads for both Afcon and the Cosafa Cup don’t reflect any tangible benefit from that trip. If the aim was to strengthen the team with top talent, that objective remains unmet.
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If serious about Afcon preparations, Nees should have named his strongest available squad, adding perhaps one or two new players to assess.
Instead, he has named an experimental side—many of whom are unlikely to feature at the tournament in Morocco. Locally based players such as Godknows Murwira, Donald Mudadi, Tawanda Macheke, and Isheanesu Mauchi have been selected for the Morocco friendlies, when they arguably should be part of the Cosafa Cup team.
According to Zifa, the Cosafa squad is being handled by Simon Marange and Joel Lupahla. But evidence suggests Nees has had a direct hand in selections, further muddying the waters.
More Scotland-based players are being preferred for the Morocco trip, while the Cosafa squad—traditionally a stage for local talent—is being shortchanged.
There’s growing concern over Nees’ clear favoritism for the so-called “Scotland team,” which he is regularly seen watching, while seemingly ignoring the other 17 clubs in the local Premier Soccer League.
That bias appears to have reached a new level with the exclusion of TelOne striker Washington Navaya—the current PSL top scorer—from the Cosafa squad.
If the competition is meant for locally based talent, how does one justify omitting the best-performing local player?
This brings us to a key question: What criteria are being used for team selection? Is it based on merit, loyalty, or personal preference? If it’s performance-based, then Navaya should be included. If it’s for Afcon preparation, then Munetsi, Chirewa, Zemura, and Rinomhota should be in Morocco.
As it stands, the current selections suggest a lack of clarity and direction.
Nees may have guided Zimbabwe to Afcon 2025, but his recent decisions risk derailing that achievement. The national team setup demands a focused and strategic approach—not the confusion and inconsistency we are now witnessing.
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