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
0 comments:
Post a Comment