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The past weekend the country had its eyes fixed on the bid by the Warriors to set a record by winning all its qualifying matches for the Africa Cup of Nations. The boys were not successful in that bid since they lost the final match but we had already qualified for Afcon 2017 which was the reason even the coach said the match should not be treated as a dead rubber as the players were poised to set a record and also improve the Warriorsa�� rankings.
Instead of soccer followers talking more about events on the field of play, as has become tradition, focus once again shifted to off-field events.A� We are aware that the economy is not in a good state hence sponsorship of the national teams across disciplines has been declining. However, there should always be a semblance of planning rather than last minute rushes that leave even keen football followers wondering if our structures are being led by the right people, or if they have the countrya��s interests at heart.
What Zimbabweans should be demanding now that the Warriors have qualified is a detailed and well laid out roadmap to Gabon 2017.A� We are only a few months away from the continental contest but we are yet to hear of fundraising efforts or firm guarantees of sponsorship of the team for the duration of the competition.
We are of the view that if the Warriors brand is well marketed, various sections of the corporate world would take up different areas and cater for the playersa�� needs. We raise this because we believe with the state of the economy it might be difficult to find one sponsor to cater for all the requirements.A� There was once a structure to raise funds for the Warriors and certain undesirable things could have happened but we cannot throw away the baby with the bath water.
Let us revise the model for fundraising and put in place checks and balances, remembering that we will always have a national football team. Since it is a permanent fixture, we should have standing arrangements that guide the funding and administration of football in the country. We should take the qualification of the Warriors as an opportunity to turn a new leaf and prove to all and sundry that we can run our affairs successfully.
The same formula could then be replicated in other disciplines. We know our Olympic Games team did not have the best of preparations and just this week the Paralympic Games team also left for Brazil amid reports that some of the teams started preparations late due to various reasons. If our competitors take preparations seriously, it would be folly for us not to accord our preparations similar attention.
We believe the Guinea debacle that saw the Warriors travel late and almost fail to fulfil the fixture has given us useful lessons. However, we have had such close calls before and it would appear we did not learn much from those. It is not just money that makes all fall into place but proper organisation is important since it is such orderliness that would then attract sponsorship.A� Football authorities, and indeed other sporting disciplines, should ensure ownership of the teams by the generality of the public.
Right now is there a way a supporter in Dotito or Binga can donate even as little as $1 to the Warriors cause? How many Warriors fans do we have across the country and how many have been persuaded to buy into and support the Warriors? At this stage of the countdown we should be getting regular updates of how much the Warriors kitty has and indications of where funds to top up on that would come from. We do not believe there is still room for more lessons if we get the preparations wrong. Failure is not an option.
Online Reporter