Kaitano Tembo defends Zimbabwe coach Michael Nees amid growing criticism

Former Zimbabwe international Kaitano Tembo has called for coach Michael Nees to be given more time to build a strong, and winning national team outfit.

The Warriors’ hopes of qualifying for the World Cup were ended last week following back-to-back defeats against Benin and Rwanda. At first, they suffered a 1-0 defeat against Benin before losing by a similar margin to Rwanda.

Despite the setback, Tembo urged for patience and further added that Nees was the right man having helped Zimbabwe to qualify for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations (AFCON).

“Everyone is disappointed, and it’s understandable because people want results. But to be fair to the coach, a lot still needs to be done,” Tembo told the South African publication,” said Tembo as quoted by FARPost.

“He [Nees] arrived when the World Cup qualifiers had already started. He still managed to qualify for AFCON, and the next objective is clear: to perform better at the tournament, just as Bafana did last time.

“When Hugo Broos came in, he was given time to assess a large pool of players to find those who best suited his philosophy. Now, his team is playing with fluidity and is among the strongest in the region and on the continent. That is what Nees is also trying to do. He has managed to bring Knowledge Musona back and is still working on getting the available players to adapt to his style.”

Out of eight matches in the qualifiers, Zimbabwe is yet to win any, drawing four and losing four.

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