Online Reporter
Zimpapers Sports Hub
THE race for the next Premier Soccer League chairman to succeed Farai Jere is getting hotter as July 25 draws ever closer with the four candidates involved canvassing in full throttle.
The final list for the candidates was shared last week but it was already a public secret that Simba Bhora’s Isaiah Mupfurutsa, Dumisani Sisale of FC Platinum and Masimba Chihowa of Manica Diamonds were in the running.
But Leonard Musariri of Ngezi Platinum Stars, who was hardly talked about prior to the publication of the official roster, surprised many when his name also came out on the list.
Interestingly, he has since emerged as the dark horse of what is set to be one of the most closely-contested PSL chairmanship races in recent memory.
Musariri, whose astute leadership of Ngezi Platinum Stars saw them claim the 2023 championship title is officially the fourth candidate among the league’s governors vying for the chairman’s post at the July 25 elections.
A largely unassuming character but shrewd, Musariri has been around the football trenches for over two decades and is credited with steadying the Ngezi Platinum Stars ship.
It is against this background that the Ngezi Platinum board resolved to lure him back from his 2024 hiatus, to come and lead Madamburo again.
And after succeeding with the Ngezi Platinum Stars turnaround, Musariri has shifted his focus to achieving a similar feat this time on the PSL stage.
He is also eager to build on the legacy which outgoing chairman Jere has built at the PSL and take the domestic top-flight to another level.
In confirming his candidature, Musariri told Zimpapers Sports Hub yesterday that “There is a huge scope for growth of the country’s flagship league.
“I believe in commercialisation of football. I want the game to change lives and lives to change the game,’’ Musariri said.
“The Premier Soccer League is the flagship league of our football and we ought to attach significant value to it.
“I believe in laying down all the problems bedevilling our game and proffer solutions to each and every problem for the good of the game.
“What I am saying is that clubs should derive value from their brands rather than seeing their brands sort of burdening them.
“If you look at the European model, you will see that clubs earn a lot from TV rights and have become self-sustaining due to a litany of valuable initiatives which we can easily do as well this side.
“So, I am basically saying I want to transform the league by adding value to it and the clubs that cascade down to players, their families and football fans.”
Musariri is also known for his passion for development, having worked for years in the promotion of schools’ sport.
The robust junior development taking place in Ngezi is largely credited to him and he vowed to take the same initiatives across the league, which has come under criticism for not creating pathways for young talent to flourish.
He added that he would roll out his comprehensive plan for the PSL after unveiling his manifesto to the league’s electoral college — the club governors.
The Harare businessman, however, insists that the domestic Premiership can lead the way in showcasing the big industry that football has evolved into a global scale.
“I will soon be unveiling my manifesto which outlines some of the possible solutions we will prescribe in my mission to restore the PSL’s gloss.
“Football has the potential to transform lives and contribute significantly to the country’s GDP (Gross Domestic Product),” Musariri said.
