dyton mupawaenda
IF ever we needed confirmation that those who are leading ZIFA are hopelessly out of depth, then the confusion over the COSAFA Cup squad shows exactly that.
On Friday night, ZIFA announced a squad of players they said will represent the country at the COSAFA Cup in South Africa.
The squad, which was dominated by Manica Diamonds and Ngezi Platinum Stars players, torched a storm across the country with many football fans, and pundits, complaining that it had not been selected on merit.
Head coach, Jairos Tapera, and his assistant, Takesure Chiragwi, were accused by the fans, and pundits, of favouring the players at their clubs — Manica Diamonds and Ngezi Platinum Stars.
There were even claims that the two coaches appeared to be using the tournament, not to further the national interests, by to further their clubs’ interests.
The claim was that they wanted to use the tournament to market their players, to South African clubs, who usually use this tournament to search for fresh talent.
Yesterday, ZIFA announced that the composition of the squad had been changed and with some players, who had been drafted into the initial squad, being dropped while others were added to the squad.
It’s a circus because it’s something that we don’t expect from our football controlling body since national teams are something that should be taken seriously.
You can’t have a national team being chopped and changed within just 24 hours.
It shows confusion and we can only feel for the players, who were cheered by the belief that they had been drafted to represent their country only to be told, a few hours later, that they will not be part of that team.
It shattered their spirits and one wonders why should their emotions be abused like this by the people who should provide them with leadership.
It’s another confirmation that Lincoln Mutasa and his colleagues, who were handed the responsibility by FIFA to run our football, have badly failed in their mandate.
Under their watch, our national teams have become a joke and it’s not helped by the absence of a substantive coach and one wonders how they have failed to get one in the whole year they have been in charge.
No wonder we are now losing to countries like Lesotho, in World Cup qualifiers, and somehow it looks very normal.
Recent media reports suggest that Mutasa and his crew will not be in charge for long as another committee is set to be named to lead ZIFA.
That will be good riddance to rubbish because our national game has lost a lot of value since Mutasa and his team took over as its leaders.
Mutasa is the first ZIFA boss to be paid for leading the association and would have expected that to inspire him to do better than the others who have come before him.
However, what we have seen is a mockery to real football leadership and the sooner they are out, the better.
Online Reporter