THE Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) has parted ways with national team coach Michael Nees with immediate effect, bringing an abrupt end to a short and turbulent spell in charge of the Warriors.
In a statement released late Wednesday, ZIFA confirmed that its Executive Committee had terminated Nees’ contract, thanking him for his “efforts and contributions to Zimbabwean football.”
“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,” the statement read.
Nees’ departure comes after Zimbabwe endured a winless 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifying campaign, where the Warriors failed to record a single victory in ten matches.
Under his guidance, the team managed just three goals while conceding six in six World Cup qualifiers and finished the campaign rooted near the bottom of Group C. Zimbabwe’s results included defeats to Lesotho, Rwanda, Benin, and South Africa, along with draws against Nigeria, Benin, and Rwanda.
The German coach, who took over in July 2024, had pledged to rebuild and modernise Zimbabwe’s style of play. Instead, the campaign exposed deep seated issues, poor cohesion, tactical confusion, and dwindling morale that left the Warriors without direction or identity.
ZIFA said it will announce interim technical arrangements in due course as part of its ongoing reform agenda.
With the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations finals in Morocco in two months time, the federation faces a race against time to appoint a successor capable of restoring pride and competitiveness to the national team. – Herald
