The arrogant, vindictive and control junk Warriors coach, has been working for 43 days without a valid work permit, in breach of Immigration laws in Zimbabwe, The Page has learnt.
Michael Nees, whose contract expires soon, unless the blundering Zifa, offer him a fresh contract ahead of the Afcon 2025 in December-January in Morocco, has been sweating to obtain a work permit, which will be an extension of the one he obtained last June, ahead of assuming the position.
The Page learnt that as of Tuesday, the German coach who has won just two matches (both against Namibia) in a dozen attempts, had no permit and was waiting for one.
According to the laws governing expatriates working in Zimbabwe, Nees need to have applied for an extension to his 12 month non renewable permit, well before its expiry.
But that didn’t happen as he and the Zifa CEO got busy with politics of control of the ecosystem, leaving this hole unplugged, a situation that has left him in a quandary, in respect of calling and naming the Warriors, ahead of the September 5 and 9 World Cup qualifiers in Abidjan (vs Benin) and Johannesburg (vs Rwanda) respectively.
The divisive coach, whose plan to bring a German guy as his assistant, saw him clash with Zifa president in Morocco, a tiff that attracted the interest of players, within earshot, who whispered to The Page.
Nees, who the majority of the public are eagerly waiting for who he will select, given the furore around the scandalous sojourn in Europe, under the guise of searching for players of Zimbabwean extraction, to add to the squad, is basically working for Zifa without the requisite papers.
In the years gone by a certain coach was ejected from training for working without the permit, a fall out that heavily cost the FA huge sums in compensation for the cancelled contract.
It costs just USD500 to apply for the permit and some of the documents required by the department of immigration include a letter from Zifa indicating that the applicant is offering a special skill.
Nees was selected from a five men shortlist that was exclusively foreign and edged Gerald Nuus, by just two points, thanks to his promise that he will help the FA with coach education, the last job he held in South Africa, before the SAFA sacked him for being divisive.
As things stand, Nees can not work until the permit is obtained and his visit to the Zifa offices at Tendeseka Park and training venues of selected clubs, without this document, constitutes a crime, for which he risk prosecution or deportation or both.
While all this is happening the Zifa CEO, whose contract ends in December, after being erroneously extended by Nqobile Magwizi, is getting busy doing nothing.
Only the employer can initiate the application of the permit, something the tall CEO, never remembered to do, in good time, jeopardizing preparations for the now academic World Cup qualifiers.
If you want to see a good leader, just look at how they look after their national teams.
If the national teams look orphaned, then know you have a bad leader.
The Under 17, who will headline the Cosafa tournament at home, have no players nor coaches.
The world record three day exercise to recruit players which started on Monday ends today.
The Page can reveal that the new head of technical development, who is basically an uncapped technical director, will help in the exercise as well as appointment of the coaches.
Dominique Niyonzima, who returned from Tanzania on Saturday, where he attended the technical directors’ seminar, has admitted that he has a huge task in fixing this burst football sewer, at Zifa.
But the FA is as penniless as a church mouse and Magwizi hasn’t auditioned himself enough, to attract financial blessings.
The small workforce remaining at Zifa is owed money. The Cosafa team that played and disappointed in Bloemfontein, remains unpaid.
The other Warriors who striked for moola in Morocco, are still owed some.
And worse the Warriors have rejected the proposed offer of bonuses, matches fees and daily allowances for the Afcon, which The Page saw, falling four times short of the 2019 rate in Egypt.
The Zifa assembly are so angry at Magwizi and his Exco, so much that the rulebook will be thrown at them, at the next AGM.
Their stated cases are all constitutional. Magwizi and his Exco have moved the FA HQ without the requisite assembly resolution.
He has changed the Zifa logo without the same assembly resolution.
He has rushed the Zifa financials without the same assembly scrutiny and approval, a situation that has stalled the much needed FIFA funds.
All these key transgressions, call for attention, the same as that a whole national team coach’s permit, was allowed to expire, while the secretariat watched.
The disobedient fowl, only obeys when in a pot of soup.
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