The Sunday Mail
Ashford Mamelodi
I have been a great admirer of the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) for quite some time. The resilience of Zimbabwe footballers, both men and women, has indeed been admirable.
I have had close contact with ZIFA when I assumed the reins as secretary-general of COSAFA (1992 to 2008), but perhaps more closely, when I was a FIFA development officer from 2000 to 2016.
Although I was involved to the extent that I was, I have not carried out an in-depth study before coming up with the views that I will express.
As we welcome the Warriors back home, I thought I should just pen some thoughts that I have on awakening the sleeping giant that Zimbabwe football is.
I am mindful that I previously opened a can of angry bees when I suggested and insisted that the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia was not a priority for Zimbabwe given the myriad problems that the game was going through at the time.
I hope I will not stir up a hornet’s nest.
My suggestion should be seen from the background of one who believes in Zimbabwe football — a brother from another mother. It is undoubted that Zimbabwe possess a great deal of football talent.
This is best demonstrated by the country’s achievements in both regional and international competitions.
In the last decade, the performance of the Warriors and Mighty Warriors has been commendable.
The dominance of the Warriors in the regional competition has been outstanding, where they currently hold the record of six COSAFA Cup titles ahead of Zambia and South Africa. The Warriors have also regularly qualified for the CHAN tournament, including in 2014 when they made it into the semi-final in Cape Town, South Africa.
On the other hand, the Mighty Warriors qualified for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games and were also runners-up at the COSAFA Women’s Championship in 2013.
More importantly, the Warriors were making their fifth appearance at the Africa Cup of Nations hosted by Cameroon.
All this while, ZIFA did not have their best foot forward in terms of the administration of the game.
In my mind, therein lies the resilience and quality of the Zimbabwean players.
Even if we were to go back in history, players such as Bruce Grobbelaar, Peter Ndlovu and Moses Chunga demonstrated that quality had always been there in abundance. In the new generation, there is Khama Billiat and one of the goal scorers at the ongoing AFCON in Cameroon, Knowledge Musona, Marvelous Nakamba . . . the list is endless.
Decline in development &
governance
Whereas prior to the last 10 years there was active football development, in the last 10 years this has been hardly existent.
ZIFA have suffered a huge debt that has gone into millions of US dollars, which had the effect of virtually paralysing the organisation’s operations.
When the Warriors went to Cameroon this year, the ZIFA leadership was supposedly “suspended.”
This must historically be a rare occurrence when a national team qualifies and travels to the AFCON finals with a de facto leadership in place. Yet, such is the resilience of the Zimbabwean footballer.
When ZIFA were led by Nelson “Jumbo Jet’’ Chirwa and had Ndumiso Gumede as secretary-general and Frank Valdemarca as treasurer, among others, it was probably the best the country has ever had.
One can readily admit that the level of good governance from this team has never been matched. In subsequent administrations, there were one or two individuals of similar pedigree, but, like in many football associations in Africa, it appears not to have been possible to come with a complete team that was as well-coordinated with credible individuals.
Achievements of the Jumbo-led ZIFA Board include making ZIFA one of the first, if not the first, football associations in Africa to own their own headquarters and a national team bus, especially in the period before the FIFA Goal Project and FIFA financial assistance.
When FIFA funding started, ZIFA did not waste time with the procurement of the ZIFA Village, even before the Goal Project was introduced.
There can be no doubt that leadership as a collective was and has been the major undoing of Zimbabwe football since the days of the Chirwa-led board.
Structural Weaknesses
Another matter that must be addressed as we all endeavour to build a new ZIFA is what I can describe as structural defects. One must confess that this is a general problem in African football.
The present ZIFA statutes allow for a General Assembly that comprises 62 delegates.
Apart from the national and other leagues, the ZIFA General Assembly attracts a representation from the provinces, regions, area zones, National Association of Primary School Heads (NAPH), National Association of Secondary School Heads (NASH), National Association of Tertiary Institutions, Zimbabwe Women Soccer League, Beach Soccer, and Futsal.
Whilst the groups appear politically and democratically well distributed, I would like to believe that here in could lie the problem.
Proposals
I would rather propose the following to strengthen the ZIFA General Assembly:
- Consolidation of the membership into four regional associations, namely Northern, Eastern, Central and Southern. These would become the principal members of ZIFA. Each regional structure should be headed by an executive committee as elected by the membership of the respective region. Essentially, ZIFA would now have four members.
- Further provided that each regional structure would have 10 delegates led by the chairperson or, in his absence, the vice-chairperson of the regional structure who would have been elected by the regional structure to represent the entire region at the ZIFA Assembly. These structures would of necessity have met ahead of the ZIFA Assembly at a regional assembly to, amongst other things, critically review the agenda of the ZIFA GA. This would allow all items, including elections of the ZIFA Board, to be taken by such assemblies. Delegates selected at regional assemblies need not have a representation of the different member affiliates but will comprise the best and most competent delegates to represent the region.
- The regional structure shall have as part of its affiliated membership all leagues in the region, including youth together with grassroots football activities who will all affiliate at the regional level with the four regions affiliated to ZIFA. The regional structure shall also take full responsibility for development of football, including coaches and referees as coordinated from the headquarters.
- Further, activities such as youth, referees, women’s
football activities of NAPH, NASH, Futsal, etc, will be regulated by the ZIFA Board, but will each have a standing committee, with a chairperson who sits on the ZIFA Board, provide committees in respect of each will be replicated as sub-committees in each region and report to the national structure.
- The Premier League and feeder leagues or second-tier will be managed by a national structure that will report to the ZIFA Board with similar structures in place for women’s football when the time is right for its establishment.
- ZIFA Board will be elected at an elective General Assembly, provided that EXCO (executive committee) members will have no role in the running regional structures as this will be the responsibility of the regional EXCO. The ZIFA Board members will be expected to chair the different standing committees of ZIFA and will ensure that where applicable committees that they chair will be replicated in the regions as determined by the ZIFA Constitution. Regional chairpersons or EXCO members will not be allowed to serve the regional structures and be on the ZIFA Board at the same time.
I am fully aware that there will likely be outrage at the above proposals, but the benefits are clear for all to see.
– The strength of regional structures who will be responsible for all football in their structures will become very strong.
– Regional structures will ensure that there will be a strong ZIFA Board which they will also hold to account.
– Regional structures will ensure that there is a strong and quality representation at ZIFA General Assembly that will be able to focus on football core mandate and hold the board to account.
– More attention will be given to a careful selection of the ZIFA Board without compromising on ability, credibility and integrity.
– There will be more transparency when it comes to election of the ZIFA Board, bearing in mind that a determination of how each regional structure will vote would be determined at the regional assemblies.
– It shall be expected that the regional structures will ensure that how they vote at regional assemblies cannot be varied at the ZIFA General Assembly.
– The ZIFA General Assembly will become very productive and will ensure there is total accountability.
The proposed structural changes will therefore lead to a much-improved constitution.
If given a chance and allowed to settle, the proposals will bring about an unprecedented transformation to Zimbabwe football. Zimbabwe will be able to reap where it has sown in football. The sleeping giant of African football will awake.
The ZIFA Assembly will rid itself of fly-by-nights, some of whom pursue self-interest at the expense of Zimbabwe football.
The innovation, integrity and credibility of the Chirwa-led ZIFA Board would return and only the sky will be the limit for the game in Zimbabwe.
The harassment of a ZIFA president and his board for rewards as payback for election and even vote-buying will be a thing of the past.
The competitiveness of the four members of ZIFA will raise the profiles of the game as each member strives to be the best. They would all be striving to win inter-regional competitions, produce quality referees and coaches, and strive to be best at grassroots football and women’s football.
The regional structures would compete to have a better and bigger representation at all levels of the Warriors and Mighty Warriors.
The regions will compete to be the best run and better-sponsored members of ZIFA.
We would not be welcoming back the Warriors at this stage of Cameroon 2021; instead, we would be receiving African champions at the Robert Gabriel Mugabe International Airport at end of the competition.
Given the much-improved level of funding by FIFA to all member associations, it is expected that in no time the four regional structures once established would have full-time, but moderately-sized secretariat manned by full-time staff and accountable to the regional boards and the ZIFA HQ.
I hold the view very strongly that once Zimbabwe succeeds as she will, if this proposal finds the light of day, the country could very well emerge as a powerhouse of African football and become an example for many African football associations to emulate.
Conversely, if nothing is done, Zimbabwe should brace herself for sustenance of the mediocrity that the game has regrettably been made to endure.
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