PSL coach Kaitano Tembo has highlighted key aspects that Zimbabwe must emulate from Hugo Broos and Bafana Bafana before criticising German coach Michael Nees.
Bafana and Zimbabwe have had contrasting fortunes in Group C of the 2026 FIFA World Cup qualifiers. Broos’ men sit pretty at the summit of the six-team group with 17 points after eight matches.
On the other hand, Zimbabwe are rooted at the bottom of the table with four points. They are the only team without a win. Under coach Nees, Zimbabwe has secured only two wins over Namibia, albeit in the 2025 AFCON qualifiers.
Plausibly, they managed to qualify for AFCON. However, it is in the World Cup qualifiers that they have disgraced themselves and become a laughing stock. In the recently concluded round of qualifiers, they lost to Benin and Rwanda on a 1-0 scoreline.
Frustration is already creeping in, but PSL coach Kaitano Tembo, a former Zimbabwe international, opines that ZIFA and Nees need to learn from how SAFA successfully helped Broos establish himself.
NEES SHOULD STUDY BROOS’ METHODOLOGY, SAYS TEMBO
Bafana and The Warriors are scheduled to face off next month in the final two matches of the World Cup qualifiers. They will clash again at the 2025 AFCON in Group B of the tournament. Angola and Egypt complete the group.
“Everyone is disappointed, and it’s understandable because everyone wants results. But to be fair to the coach, a lot has to be done,” Tembo told FARPost. “He [Nees] arrived when the World Cup qualifiers had already started. He qualified for AFCON, and the objective is now clear: to perform better at AFCON, just as Bafana did the last time.
“When Hugo Broos came to Bafana, he got time to assess a huge number of players as he tried to identify who best suits his ideas. Now his team is flowing and is one of the strongest in the region and Africa at large. That looks like what Nees is trying to do; he has managed to bring Knowledge Musona back. He is still trying to get the available players to get his style.
“He has younger players like Thandolwenkosi Ngwenya of AmaZulu FC. The coach has managed to bring in a large number of players, both locally based and overseas-based. All they need is time to generate the coordination that is needed.
“Just like what South Africa did with Hugo Broos, ZIFA can also do the same and let him spread his wings. The upcoming AFCON can be his yardstick, but there must be patience and massive scrutiny on Broos’ methodology. The remaining World Cup qualifiers against Bafana and Lesotho can be used for assessing more and more players.”
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