The Sunday Mail
It looked like a joke. The initial announcement coming in a daily paper at the beginning of October: “I have been approached by several people to be Zifa president and I am consulting widely. I will advise you in due course.”
To those who had known Phillip Chiyangwa for a while, we thought it must have been one of his attention-grabbing statements.
But if the events in the intervening weeks are anything to go by, then the reality is, come the morning of December 6, Phillip Chiyangwa may well be Zifa president.
Personally, I think that will be the day Zimbabwean soccer dies — if it isn’t dead already.
Removing Cuthbert Dube and replacing him with Phillip Chiyangwa? That is akin to the proverbial piece of meat that falls from the mesh on the braai stand, right into the red embers of charcoal down below.
Nothing personal, but let’s look at what is on the ground.
We all know what, how and who is Phillip Chiyangwa, a man with a huge ego that needs constant stroking. And the Zifa presidency is going to provide him with exactly that — a platform to have his ego caressed no end.
Whatever wrong it is we did, may the good Lord forgive us, please!
If voted into office, which is a likely outcome, Chiyangwa has promised to hand-over residential stands to the national team players.
Problem Number 1: He thinks the national soccer team is football in this country. What about the area zones where he is said to have cut his footballing teeth with Citrus FC?
What about five-a-side? What about women’s soccer? What about the Premier League? What about the Under-23s and all other junior teams?
Problem Number 2: He thinks everyone who is suffering or in need of help needs a residential stand. Remember how he has doled these out to our long-suffering musicians?
And our reporters have never bothered to give us follow-ups if these stands were actually handed over or these were grandstanding moves at those album launches.
What if Knowledge Musona has a residential stand already?
Problem Number 3: Now that we have the men’s senior national team, which unfortunately is not competing for Russia 2018; the CHAN national team which will be going to Rwanda for the finals; the women’s national team that will be going to Rio for the Olympics: how does he define his national team?
Which of these will get his Pinnacle stands? And does he know that when a national team is called up, the initial number is around 30 players, which will ultimately be cut down to 18 players?
Still, does he know that the team that is called up for one assignment might not necessarily be the same that will be called for the next one? So how do we distribute our stands? To which team do we give our stands?
The problem I have with Phillip Chiyangwa being president of Zifa is he thinks Zifa and local football need his money.
A wrong assumption.
Football, by its own, can fund itself. It just needs an attractive leadership, a sexy leadership.
Ok, for argument’s sake, if he doles out those stands, as he is promising, and three months down the road, for some reason the Zifa council decides to boot him out, isn’t he going to be rough on our players?
Like, I gave you those stands, they are mine, can I have them back.
Reason being, football doesn’t, and shouldn’t, owe anyone an allegiance. Football is a mass sport, a mass game, which can afford to look after itself and well. How many of us remember the Dream Team under Reinhard Fabisch?
I bet most of us who followed that national team can give you the starting line-up for most of those games. From Bruce Grobeelar to the last man. And even the substitutes.
But, how many of us remember who was the Zifa president that time? I don’t remember and don’t even care!
My point; whatever the Zifa president does or doesn’t do, as long as the national team is performing, we really don’t care whether it is a rabbit leading our national association or a baboon.
It is not about flamboyance.
Football is a mass sport that can afford to support itself. If the national team is successful, that success can cascade downstream. Sponsors will fall over each to be part of our new Dream Team.
Problem Number 4: Where was Chiyangwa, if he loves football so much, when Zimbabwe was disqualified from Russia 2018 over non-payment of that coach’s salaries?
Where were he and his bottomless pockets as the Mighty Warriors ate sadza and kapenta during their training camps? Where was he and his money as that prophet helped the national teams in their hours of need?
And then suddenly, he realises that he has to donate to the history-making Migthy Warriors? Because there is a vacancy?
In a discussion over the Chiyangwa candidacy, my friend was of the opinion that we should let Chiyangwa, with all his full-of-I-know attitude, take over the hot seat and in no time he would have liquidated the Zifa debt.
Possibly using his own resources. Which is wrong.
The Zifa debt, however exaggerated, should be liquidated through its own means: football.
What football needs at such a critical time, is neither flamboyance nor someone from space. It needs a rational mind and personality, someone who is able to draw into the sponsorship world, someone who is able to give direction and stability to local football.
Having known Phillip Chiyangwa this long, and his political ambitions, it might not be surprising that his destination and long-term vision is not Zifa but some political office elsewhere.
He has openly said he wants to lead for just two years. Until 2018. A year in which there are harmonised elections.
Draw your own conclusions.
Do you have a different sentiment? Feel free to write to [email protected] or Facebook or Twitter handle @gmazara
