The Zimbabwe Football Association Nomalisation Committee announced on Tuesday the appointment of Michael Nees as the new head coach of the Warriors.
Nees was appointed to the role on a substantive basis.
The 57-year old German became the first substantive national team coach since Croat Zdravko Logarusic who left the position in 2022.
Who is Michael Nees
Michael Nees is a holder of UEFA Pro Licence and an M.A. degree in Sports Science, Performance Physiology, and Ethnology from the University of Heidelberg.
The gaffer had a short playing career, which lasted less than five years in lower leagues.
He started his post-playing career with an administrative job in 2001 when he became the technical advisor of Japan.
The German moved into full-time coaching two years later when he was appointed the head coach of Seychelles but resigned after a year.
Nees’ next coaching job came in 2006 when he took over the reins at Rwanda, but lasted just a year again.
The coach then moved to South Africa and returned to administrative work following his appointment as the technical director of South African football.
He also held a similar position with Israel from 2013 to 2015.
During his time in Israel, he also coached their national U21 team.
He moved to Kosovo in 2017, holding the post of a technical director again, but later took over the reigns of the national U21 side for a year until February 2022.
This was his last coaching job before the Warriors appointment.
Michael Nees’ Warriors mandate
Michael Nees’ immediate assignment will came in early September when the Warriors commence their 2025 Afcon Qualifiers Group J campaign.
The national team will face Kenya away in their first match of the qualifiers before hosting Cameroon during the same international window.
According to a statement by ZIFA, Nees’ mandate is to lead the Warriors in these qualifiers and save the national’s FIFA 2026 World Cup Qualifiers campaign, which return in March 2025
