The Sunday Mail
ON THE BALL with Charles Mabika
MY recent articles on ZIFA’s plan to disband the Warriors and its Assembly’s refusal to accept the Castle Lager Premiership’s request not to relegate four teams — and demote only two — at the end of the season received a lot of feedback countrywide.
Here are a few of those responses:
Dear CNN: I was completely stunned after learning that ZIFA planned to disband the Warriors! I don’t really understand what this means. Maybe ZIFA president, Cuthbert Dube, needs to explain more on this.
If he had said that the country will wholly excuse itself from all international assignments whilst they come up with tangent plans to revive our game from grassroots to senior level, that would make more sense. So, please, Charle, can we have a detailed explanation from the ZIFA officials? — Willard Makarawu.
Dear CNN: Your recent analysis on the PSL’s relegation saga was quite interesting. Which is the right way to go here — to relegate two or four teams? Phew, it’s quite a puzzle I think.
This is a topic which needs vast interaction among all football’s stakeholders because both sides of the coin need to be examined.
The ZIFA Assembly needs to show us, football fans, the essence of their desire to relegate four teams (25 percent of the league’s composition). How does that help the game? It seems they were silent on that.
Football is a people’s game and the desire of the majority of them should prevail.
ZIFA, therefore, have a role to play in informing people why they are taking such a less popular stance. To some of us, it’s too radical.
Did the ZIFA Assembly consult with the league’s sponsors? Did they consult with the Sports Commission? Is there any guarantee that the four teams to be promoted from the four Division One regions will automatically raise the standard of play in the PSL?
I think this matter needs to be revisited so that football and us, “the owners of the game”, as you always say, benefit at the end of it all.
Viva Arsenal! Viva Arsene Wenger! — Arnold “Podolski”Mapfumo.
Dear CNN: Our soccer standards nowadays have gone down so amazingly that my opinion regarding the relegation topic is six teams — and not just four — should be relegated!
Charles, the games are so below par nowadays. Hey, have you ever noticed that some teams play just to avoid relegation year in and year out? — Jonathan Bakasa.
Hi, CNN: Let’s just go back to the good, old days when we used to have the Northern and Southern Regions top tier leagues and the two winners clash for the national champion’s prize!
That way, it’s less travel for the teams and us fans. What do you think? — Lewis “Van Gaal” Virimayi.
I’m sure every soccer-loving fan will join me in welcoming back “Mushina Wemajuzi” — Norman Mapeza — into the world of coaching.
The former Warriors skipper recently ended a two-year absence from active service after he joined FC Platinum last week and was at the helm of the side’s technical bench in yesterday’s Chibuku Super Cup’s first round tie against Bantu Rovers at Mandava.
And you couldn’t get a more modest guy like “Nomara”. Brushing aside all the trials and tribulations of the past, he choses to concentrate on the future.
The only ironic thing, in my opinion, is that he replaced a man – Lloyd Mutasa – whom I thought would have made a great partnership with Mapeza at the Midlands side!
I remember mentioning in one of my TV programmes just before Mapeza’s appointment as Warriors head coach that my ideal technical partnership in that senior national set-up would be a Mapeza-Mutasa “twin engine”.
Once again, I’d like to wish the “jersey-knitting machine” more flourishing “needlework” at the platinum miners!
Remember to take care of your loved ones and each other. Till next week, it’s bye bye for now.
Please, send your feedback to: [email protected] or WhatsApp: 0714665478.
