Editorial Comment: Let’s manage the new pulling power of local football

SOMETHING important is happening in Zimbabwean football and for once, it is not being driven by crisis, controversy or nostalgia alone. It is being driven by people.

For the first time in many years, our domestic game is experiencing a quiet but powerful re-centring of authority, credibility and inspiration and this being built around former national team captains and that is largely thanks to the game’s individual and corporate investors, who have poured in large sums of money to oil the country’s flagship sport.

The former Warriors captains are men, who once carried the nation’s hopes on the pitch and are now returning to shape the game from the touchline, the dugout and the technical area.

Today, Zimbabwean football boasts at least five former national team captains actively involved in the local game.

We believe that fact alone should make us pause and reflect as a nation that loves its football and is very passionate about the sport.

Peter Ndlovu — often ranked as Zimbabwe’s greatest-ever footballer and captain — is now team manager at Scottland.

The club is coached by another former Warriors captain, Norman Mapeza, a serial domestic league winner and one of the most successful coaches of the modern era.

Within the same setup is Knowledge Musona, Zimbabwe’s all-time Africa Cup of Nations top goalscorer and a leading captain of his generation.

Musona is still an active player, although now in the twilight of his career.

At Highlanders, Benjani Mwaruwari, one of the country’s most recognisable football exports having played in France and England, has taken up a coaching role.

And at national level, Kaitano Tembo, himself a former Warriors captain, serves as assistant coach to Marian “Mario’’ Marinica.

For sports development watchers this is a pivotal moment. And moments, if recognised and stewarded correctly, can become turning points.

We note that for years, Zimbabwean football has struggled with a credibility gap between past excellence and present instability, between ambition and execution.

As reported earlier in this publication, we believe that what these men bring back into the game is not just experience but memory. They remember standards. They remember sacrifice. They remember what it meant to fight for the badge when the Zimbabwe Football Association’s (ZIFA) resources were scarce but pride was abundant.

Football, of course, is constantly changing. Tactics evolve. Sports science advances.

Player management becomes more sophisticated. The modern game demands data, structure and systems. But there is one thing that must never be lost: the fighter attitude.

That stubborn refusal to surrender. That sense of personal responsibility. That understanding that representing a club, or a nation, is a privilege to be fought for.

These former captains embody that mindset. And that is where the learning opportunity lies. For players, especially the young ones coming through the game’s ranks, the presence of these legends creates a living classroom. Not through speeches, but through example.

How they train, how they prepare, how they react to defeat and how they handle pressure.

How they respect the game, which also in line with the FIFA Fair Play tenets.

Newly-crowned African champions Senegal are an example that would easily come to mind with their decision to rope in their legends who include former Liverpool striker El-Hadji Diouf.

Diouf, now a sporting advisor for his national team was a regular feature as Senegal secured success with victory in Rabat, Morocco last Sunday.

For the local administrators and club owners, the return of Zimbabwe’s legends and former captains should trigger deeper thinking about governance, professionalism and long-term planning.

Legends should not be used merely as marketing tools. They should be integrated into systems that value their insight while supporting them with modern technical structures.

We have also noted that while legends are bringing an interesting dimension, at the same time, another shift is taking place on our pitches.

The Premier Soccer League (PSL) is seeing an increased influx of players from fellow African nations — Namibia, Malawi, Kenya and beyond. To some, this may appear frivolous or even threatening to local talent.

But viewed properly, it is neither. It is a sign that the Zimbabwean league still is gaining a pull factor.

However, moments of attraction must be matched with moments of regulation.

This is the right time — not later — for the league to clearly define and enforce foreign player policies. Not to shut doors, but to balance opportunity.

The objective must be simple: foreign players should raise standards, not block pathways. Local talent must remain the backbone of Zimbabwean football.

Equally important is youth development. If the game is serious about sustainability, then youth structures cannot be optional or cosmetic.

We applaud ZIFA for taking a huge interest in reviving junior development and making it a priority among their programmes for the next four years.

Every club should be compelled to meet a minimum youth development quota, with clear benchmarks and accountability. Not just teams in name, but functioning development pipelines with coaching, competition and progression.

This is how legacy is built — not by romanticising the past, but by using it wisely.

The return of former Warriors captains is not a guarantee of success but it is an opening. It is a chance to reconnect history with the future.

If we get it right, years from now we may look back and say: that was the season (2026) when belief returned — not just to the stands but to the structures of the game itself.