Following what we were told were recommendations from the highest offices, the Zimbabwe Football Association finally sacked Michael Nees and the coach will no longer be part of the Zimbabwean team for Afcon 2025.
His departure was met with wild celebrations across all the four corners of the country as the majority felt he was not the right man to take Zimbabwe to Afcon 2025 and for that matter against Angola, Egypt, and South Africa.
Nees provoked the emotions of the nation through his poor performance and by making insulting if not demeaning statements about the country forcing the authorities to sacrifice the $80 000 required to terminate his services.
The information we have is that Nees' fate was sealed on Saturday, October 18, and on Monday October 20, the authorities' recommendations were forwarded to Zifa for deliberations.
" Politburo sat Saturday morning and key takeaways were that:
- Nees must be fired with immediate effect
- Government to pay his dues
- Government to assist Zifa with money for Afcon preparation including camping in Europe two weeks before the tournament." was the simple message received on the morning of Monday, October 20.
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Granted, the authorities have even gone further and the government will bankroll the Warriors' international friendly matches against Algeria and Qatar and will also soon unveil a package for extra funding for the Warriors at Afcon 2025.
This is the sort of support that the Warriors need as they seek to negotiate their way out of the Afcon group stages for the first time since their maiden appearance in the finals in Egypt in 2004.
Our hope is that the government will also extend that hand towards the completion of renovations to the National Sports Stadium as the Warriors cannot continue to play their home matches in foreign lands.
Playing in foreign lands has deprived the Warriors of their much needed home advantage while for the fans it has been too costly to travel each and every time to watch their favourite team play.
Surely, Nees is gone and gone for good and attention is now on Zifa president Nqobile Magwizi and his crew on whom they will bring in as a replacement for the departed Germany.
We saw it in the 0-0 World Cup draw against South Africa that Zimbabwe has a team capable of standing its own against the best Africa has to offer and what it needs is a coach who is tactically and technically sound.
A coach who will be spot-on in his team selection and will not be influenced or pressured in any way as was becoming the case with Nees.
All sorts of names are being thrown around among them Bruce Grobbelaar, Klause Dieter Pagels, Baltermar Brito, Winfried Schaffer, and Sam Alladyce with the chances of a local far away except probably for Kaitano Tembo.
Zifa have not made it clear for how long will the coach be in the job, but if it is only for Afcon 2025, then it would be advisable for the association to go for one of the old madhalas Schaffer, Brito or Alladyce with Tembo as one of the assistants.
The football federation, though, are taking their time and it is the hope of everyone associated with Zimbabwean football that they are not going to repeat the Zdravko Logarusic or the Michael Nees mistake.
Everyone hopes that the decision they will make will be the best for the Warriors and the best for our football as we head for Afcon 2025.
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