The Sunday Mail
18area.coms with VaShagare
THE question was simple but for some reason Phillip Chiyangwa went on a shocking offensive.
Chiyangwa was on Zifm on Monday as he stepped up his campaign for the Zifa presidency.
The Zifa presidential favourite seemed to have it all under control in the company of the equally “speedy” Ruvheneko Parirenyatwa until one listener from Australia called and asked what we all thought was a simple question.
“What does Fifa, Caf and Cosafa stand for?” Chiyangwa was asked.
Now for a man who wants to be Zifa president, this should have been daily bread, a question he ought to be able to answer even as he sleeps soundly at his Borrowdale mansion.
Well, this is Chiyangwa.
Unpredictable must be his other name.
“Iwe hatisi muclass (we are not in class). What have you done to assist Zimbabwe uri ikoko iwewe, this is one person I am not going to answer,” he fired.
Now what was that all about?
Chiyangwa could be on his way to becoming the next Zifa president but the guy needs to work on his people skills and start identifying with the ordinary man on the street.
When he becomes the big boss at 53 Livingstone Avenue, people who never gave a damn about him will start having interest in what he says, eats or drives.
And these people – the ones that Charles Mabika labels the owners of the game – will not have any qualms about walking up to Chiyangwa and asking questions, silly or superb.
Now if Chiyangwa blows his gasket after being asked what the acronyms Fifa, Caf and Cosafa stand for one shudders to think what will happen if an airtime vendor asks him why the Warriors are not winning.
“Ah mudhara ko sei boys dzisiri kuhwina?” the vendor will probably say as Chiyangwa pulls up at the robots between Samora Machel and Enterprise roads in Harare.
“Look I am businessman, l am rich and good looking. I have so many things to do than answer these silly questions. Why don’t you ask me how to make money?” That sounds like a typical Chiyangwa response.
What’s the point Va Shagare?
If ever he becomes the Zifa boss, PC needs to quickly identify with the ordinary fan and stop being cocky.
During that radio interview with Ruvheneko, the aspiring Zifa president didn’t need to be confrontational, there were thousands of smarter ways to avoid the question that clearly caused him some discomfort.
Chiyangwa could have said I don’t know or just play dump and claim not to have heard the listener’s question well.
The guy was calling from Australia after all.
Now the lesson for today is …..
FIFA stands for International Federation of Association Football, CAF stands for Confederation of African Football and COSAFA is the acronym for Council of Southern Africa Football Associations.
Finally Dube leaves the Zifa walls
So it took Jonathan Mashingaidze and his team at 53 Livingstone Avenue 33 days to realise that the Cuthbert Dube portraits had no right to be still hanging on the walls at Zifa House?
And their Paul moment only arrived when Chiyangwa and his new found posse descended on the dilapidated building that Zimbabwean football calls home to submit election papers on Thursday morning.
Dube’s portraits – which had hitherto been hanging on the Zifa walls for over 792 unnecessary hours – were hastily pulled down amid some shocking bootlicking by the Zifa officials.
They called Chiyangwa president!
Certainly they didn’t mean Affirmative Action Group president.
Its Zifa they were talking about.
Are they prophets?
Va Shagare exits the scene!
VaShagare is the founder of DeMbare DotComs and can be contacted on that Facebook page as well as the email [email protected].
