ZIFA to hunt for Warriors COSAFA coach

The Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) is set to appoint a local coach to take charge of the Warriors at the 2025 COSAFA Cup tournament, as current head coach Michael Nees will be unavailable due to international commitments.

The regional tournament, designed for locally-based players, is scheduled to run from 4 to 15 June 2025. However, the dates overlap with the FIFA international window (2–10 June), during which Zimbabwe's senior men's national team will be in Morocco for friendly matches against Benin and Niger.

A ZIFA official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, confirmed that Nees and his assistant Takesure Chiragwi will travel with the senior squad to North Africa as part of preparations for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

"Coach Michael Nees will be in Morocco together with his assistant Takesure Chiragwi. Remember, they want to use the two upcoming friendly matches to begin preparing for AFCON," the source said.

"As such, the FA is currently debating on whom to pick amongst the local coaches in the Premier Soccer League (PSL) to handle the COSAFA assignment."

The COSAFA Cup, which is not recognized by FIFA's official calendar, has often featured experimental squads made up of home-based talent. However, Zimbabwe's last outing in 2023 ended in disappointment, with the team crashing out at the group stage under the guidance of Manica Diamonds coach Jairos Tapera.

For the 2025 edition, Zimbabwe has been drawn in Group A, alongside hosts South Africa, Mozambique, and Mauritius.

The full list of participating teams includes:

Group A: Zimbabwe, South Africa, Mozambique, Mauritius

Others: Namibia, Angola, Malawi, Lesotho, Madagascar, Eswatini, Zambia, Comoros, Botswana, and invitational side Morocco

ZIFA is expected to announce the interim COSAFA coach in the coming weeks, as preparations begin for what could be a key platform to assess domestic talent ahead of AFCON and other upcoming international fixtures.