IT is less than a month before the Warriors of Zimbabwe engage the Harambe Stars of Kenya in the first of their Afcon 2025 Qualifiers.
However, events on the ground seem to suggest that nothing serious is being done in terms of the Warriors preparations for this crucial game and others to come.
Nobody knows when exactly the new national team coach Michael Nees will be coming to Zimbabwe to start working for the Zimbabwean team.
With limited time to know the Zimbabwean players, Nees will be under pressure to pick his team, leaving him vulnerable to player agents and managers and other outside forces.
We have been told the coach's work permit is being processed but this should not have taken this long unless if we are missing something.
With proper documentation and the right application, Nees should by now had started work and watching our Premiership matches in search of talent.
We also have talented young footballers scattered all over the globe, which Nees needed to look at rather than to rely on information from people, some of which might not be accurate.
We all want our favourite players to don the Warriors jersey but the coach should be free to make his selection because he is the one who gets the sack when his team fails to deliver.
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There is nothing to worry about money because after all, it is FIFA which is paying his salary and the Zifa normalisation committee's needs are also being taken care of by the international football federation.
Nobody also knows who will be the Warriors assistant coaches apart from rumours that Ngezi Platinum Stars' Takesure Chiragwi will be one of them.
This does not show seriousness for a country with big football ambitions of qualifying for Afcon after missing out of the 2023 edition due to a FIFA ban.
As things stand right now, Afcon 2025 is our only hope having fallen way behind in the 2026 World Cup following defeats to Lesotho and South Africa.
We are not in a difficult Afcon group that also includes Cameroon and Namibia but we can make life difficult for ourselves through our preparations.
The stakes on offer in the first game against Kenya cannot be over empasized. We need to win that game or at least pick up one point to brighten our chances of qualification.
The Zifa normalisation committe should be reminded that their success in office will be judged through the Warriors performance in Afcon 2025 as their term office ends before the World Cup qualifiers resume.
On that premise, Lincoln Mutasa and Friends should also find an accessible home venue for the Warriors alternatively in one of the neighbouring countries, Botswana, South Africa or Zambia.
The Warriors got a lot of support in their World Cup matches against Lesotho and South Africa and going back there for Afcon 2025 would not be bad idea.
First, however, the NC should push and sort out the coaching dillema as time is running out.
For yo our views, comments and suggestions mkariati@gmail.com or WhatsApp on 0773 266 779
