The two Warriors squads announced by head coach Michael Nees yesterday, have generated massive debate among football stakeholders. The German expatriate named two squads which will do duty in the upcoming friendly matches against Burkina Faso and Niger in Morocco, as well as the 2025 Cosafa Cup in South Africa.
The bone of contention was the omission of the duo of TelOne’s Washington Navaya, and MWOS’ Billy Veremu, arguably the two most in form players in the Castle Lager Premier Soccer League. Navaya has netted nine goals in 13 matches and is leading the goalscoring chart, while Veremu has scored eight goals for high-flying debutants MWOS. Despite their exploits in front of goal, Navaya and Veremu were overlooked even for the Cosafa squad, to the surprise of many, including former Warriors left back Cephas Chimedza. “Billy Veremu and Washy Navaya, keep on doing your things in the local league.” Chimedza wrote on his Facebook page.
Nees was asked about Navaya and Veremu but insisted the Cosafa Cup is a developmental tournament for young players. “We have a list of young players, a big list. Some players are recommended while some I find them out on my own and then you double or triple check,” said Nees. “You guys (Zimbabweans) live in a very small football ecosystem because every time we want to promote young players, you then call for old players to be selected. “Let’s be serious, you should be excited that we are promoting young players, not criticizing us for it,” added Nees.
