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Philip Zulu
Sports Correspondent
OUR sorrows of yesterday were turned into joyful celebrations as Zimbabwe now look forward to the future prospects of competing in international football events with confidence.
This comes as FIFA lifted the suspension that had constrained local football talent for over a year, and appointed a normalisation committee to manage our football and help pave the way for ZIFA elections.
Rather, let us appreciate this precious opportunity to start again and build new generations of top footballers; instill a new sense of belonging as to how our sport should be managed and administered by those individuals vying for the highest offices of sports administration and management. The newly-appointed chairman, Lincoln Mutasa, is by far the most suitable candidate for this position that has brought more hyenas than good shepherds to lead our football.
Lincoln has played the game abroad and, locally; a genuine passionate footballer, whose calling to the game is so natural and humbling.
Here is a gentle giant of the game who is in football for the right reasons for its further development, excitement, and growth, as opposed to the vicious hyenas that devour every penny in sight.
When we mourn and cry for sound leadership by football people, look no further and simply acknowledge that Mutasa is the final jigsaw puzzle that we knew was missing in national sports administration, to help football go far and compete at the highest international level.
When I heard of the return of Mutasa, I pinched myself to ‘live again’, just in case it could have been a wild dream.
Football is back with a bang, and in Mutasa, we have a trusted administrator whose academic qualities are beyond any doubt, an accomplished entrepreneur and football player who understands the modern game abroad and locally.
One of the greatest missing links was the corporate world in our football framework. Hence the flight of sponsorship capital from football scaled heights beyond imagination as total collapse of our beloved sport was evident in lack of grassroots development programs, stadia neglect and collapse, chaotic management of all national teams and lacklustre standards in the local leagues.
Mutasa hit the right notes on the very first day of his official duty by making us dream and work towards our nation’s first ever World Cup qualification in 2026.
Great leaders inspire, they invoke a sense of de javu in the corridors of power, and, most importantly, lead from the front of creative positive critical thinking about broader strategic planning that is aligned to achievable goals.
Our football is still work in progress locally and abroad, we have so many youngsters in the English Premiership League structures that are amongst the largest young emerging talent groups of African countries and the foreign nationals.
Zimbabwe has more than 40 such youngsters who are fast developing in one of the best football leagues in world football, thus helping out in increasing the quality of player bases that we currently have.
The interim leadership’s minimum expectations in terms of national junior grassroots development programs are broadly visible as our local Premiership is in a free fall for using the majority of players hovering towards retirement age, stubbornly ignoring young talents that are making a hiatus to football.
ZIFA has to call for a Football Indaba that will clearly discuss, debate and agree on how best to restructure the Technical Department of our national football programs, establish our national football DNA and set achievable goals on coach education targets.
There’s so much talent across the nation that is lying idle and being underutilised, our dream of ever qualifying for the World Cup in 2026 and beyond, has to start with intensive junior development programs across the country without delay.
* Former Arcadia United player Philip Zulu writes in his personal capacity
Online Reporter