On a Germany-Zimbabwe government project, Pagels went to Zimbabwe in 2009 to educate schoolchildren and develop grassroots as well as women's football.
[6] Nominated to take the position of Zimbabwe coach in 2009,[7] Pagels was named as interim of the Warriors near the close of 2012[8] with his appointment seen as ludicrous to some.
[9] Tasked with bringing Zimbabwe to the 2014 FIFA World Cup, putting a confident mentality into the team and making most of the talent in the country,[10] he planned on selecting a mainly local-based squad for the World Cup qualifying[11] but only chose five for the 18-man roster for their qualifier away to Egypt[12] amid work permit problems,[13] Going down 1-2 to Egypt, the German employed a technical style of play similar to Barcelona's tiki-taka style, where possession is highlighted and the offensives build up from the back to the front line.
[14] However, he was criticized for not calling up the most talented Zimbabwean footballers[14] and crashed out to Egypt again 2-4 in their second leg a few months later, becoming the only African selection to go down on back-to-back home rounds.
[18] His contract expiring on July 31 that year,[20] the Stade local stated that low finances are one of the greatest problems with Zimbabwean football[21] and that he regretted his departure since the new manager would have to start form scratch with the team.