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Raymond Jaravaza
A NEW Year and new challenges for Zimbabwean football. Here are some of the things that B-Metro Sport wants to see happening in local football in 2019.
1) Kit sponsorship for Warriors
It’s disheartening that the Warriors — the country’s flagship football team — doesn’t have a reputable kit supplier to dress the team.
But if word coming from new Zifa president Felton Kamambo is to be believed then there is a glimmer of hope for the Warriors.
Zifa have embarked on an aggressive hunt for a reputable kit supplier to dress the Warriors and Kamambo says kit sponsorship is an immediate agenda and they have given themselves the next three weeks to find a partner.
The Warriors have had no kit sponsorship since parting ways with Singaporean company Mafro Sports in 2017.
“Our brand is very good. We don’t want it to go cheap, so we have set benchmarks and anyone who can meet that benchmark we will then award him the tender to supply some jerseys including the replicas.
“Our benchmark is simple, if you want to sponsor us the kits for the year, you must sponsor every game with a new kit. If we don’t get a sponsor during the first three weeks of January, then we are going to do it on our own,” Kamambo told the media.
2) Zero tolerance to hooliganism
Hooliganism continues to rear its ugly head in local football. Major clubs like Highlanders and FC Platinum found themselves on the wrong side of football law after their supporters engaged in various acts of violence.
From throwing missiles into the pitch to destroying property in and around stadiums, local football supporters continue to tarnish the image of the game.
3) Corporate sponsorship for football teams
In November 2018, B-Metro Sport reported that Nichrut FC — a Shurugwi-based Premier Soccer League — had collapsed as the owners could no longer bear the financial burden of keeping the club afloat.
While individual sponsorship of football teams is welcome for the development of the game, the script is always the same for such teams.
They always collapse when the owners’ coffers start running dry. As such football clubs must strive to bring on board corporate partners as is the case with Chicken Inn FC, Ngezi Platinum and FC Platinum who are backed by well-financed companies.
Online Reporter