admin
KILLARNEY, one of the most affluent suburbs of Bulawayo, was last week host to a number of aspiring Highlanders executive members. They had gone for consultations with a club benefactor whom they believe is influential. The member carries one vote and may not be available because of pressing business commitments due to his high profile on the political and business scene.
I have always had respect for those that are identified by the masses to be of service to the community. These are selfless individuals who embrace the spirit of “We and Us.” They are people driven and are holding office for the obvious “thank yous” which are insults no matter how good you have been during your tenure.
Is Highlanders FC running out of people with integrity that the general membership can identify? If that is true then it is cause for concern why people of substance do not want to associate with the beautiful game long battered by a variety of scandals.
Those are the kind of people who would not want their names dragged into the mud as they are concerned about the dent that could be to their corporate images.
Football clubs need committed and honest administrators who will know they are there to save the institution, the game and general spectators.
Some seem to think running a club like Highlanders is full-time employment and hence will be in a position to make a living out of it. These have the tendency to line their pockets at the expense of the millions whose hearts are soothed by a good performing team.
It appears people are convinced that you can steal in football and not be locked up and return to do more harm.
The Highlanders family must guard against chancers.
“I want to be in the executive and run that club. People must vote for me and see what I’ll do,” this has become a popular sentiment in some corners.
With the lining up for positions having started too early at Bosso, one is bound to think that some have been celebrating turmoil within the set up. Only when results are bad are calls for regime change high that even a petition that was now doing rounds collapsed with last Sunday’s victory over Chiredzi.
True Highlanders people will know how to deal with crises. It happened in 1971 when Highlanders collected seven points, in 1976 when senior players left for Olympics, in 1983 when a number of greats were retiring and youngsters coming on board, in the year 1989 forced by the departure for greener pastures by almost eight star players among them the great Madinda Ndlovu, Tito Paketh, Rahman Gumbo, the late Mercedes Sibanda, Mpumelelo Dzowa, Ronnie Jowa, Alexander Maseko and Willard Khumalo.
The solution was in going to the junior ranks to unearth players with the club culture and desire to win playing entertaining Bosso football with wing play emphasized and creativity in the middle.
In the absence of a players’ succession plan with a squad full of lads on the retirement train, the writing was on the wall that the good run of 2012 was under threat from early last year when Bosso stuck to tired horses from Peter Dube, Charles Moyo and Kelvin Kaindu’s first year.
Highlanders must guard against chancers and examples of infiltration have been blamed on the collapse of football projects like Mutare United, Black Aces, Gweru United and Zimbabwe Saints where people come in from other clubs for personal egos without true love for their club.
I hope those that have started campaigning will not sink a fortune on people who will ditch them once their coffers run dry soon. There is always a clique after free beer that will even convince a non-hopper to go for it knowing well that the man is not cut out to run a public institution.
Club members should guard against being led astray by non-card holders or those in faraway places who have a poor appreciation of the socio-economic factors prevailing in the country that makes running a football club a nightmare.
Hope the game will not be taken for a ride and that Highlanders and Zimbabwe football will be the winner when elections are held soon.
Lets chat: [email protected]
derick.khumalo