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SO, the much-awaited Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) elections have come and gone, with Harare businessman and philanthropist Nqobile Magwizi emerging an overwhelming winner.
Magwizi and members of his ZIFA executive committee have, since January 25, been mandated to administer association football in this country on a four-year term.
As has been widely reported, it was a ZIFA election like no other.
An election that attracted a record number of candidates across all portfolios.
It was an epoch election in which for the first time the ZIFA executive committee emerged with three women voted into office.
They will be four when the leader of the Women’s Soccer League (WSL) comes on board in a similar arrangement that also sees the chairperson of the Premier Soccer League (PSL), automatically becoming a member of the ZIFA executive committee.
Previously only one woman sat on the ZIFA executive committee as an ordinary member and only by virtue of being the chairperson of the WSL.
But ZIFA, probably taking a cue from a FIFA mantra that was initiated during the Sepp Blatter era that: “the future of football is feminine”, also increased the size of the women delegates on the ZIFA Congress.
Now women contribute 21 delegates to the ZIFA Congress marking a giant step in having their aspirations and programmes catered for and crucially there is a clause in the associations’ constitution which demands of the two vice-presidents, one of them must be a woman.
The dust has barely settled after what was, by all accounts, a bruising and contentious election for the leadership of the country’s flagship sport and yet “a problem child” for the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) and occasionally the Zimbabwe Olympic Committee (ZOC).
It was a bruising election that witnessed a number of side-shows in the build-up to January 25 and soon after.
From candidates being barred by the ZIFA Electoral Committee pre-election ethics committee to allegations of vote-buying and political manoeuvring, the campaign period was anything but smooth.
But now that the polls are over, we believe every affiliate member of ZIFA, from the PSL, Women’s League, Area Zones, Regions, provinces, Futsal to NAPH should quickly move from election mode.
There is a need to realise and acknowledge that while Magwizi is the leader of the ship, the election was not just about him but about Zimbabwean football.
A new administration is in place and the time for wrangling and backroom deals is gone.
It is time to get back to what really matters — the business of football.
For months, the airwaves, boardrooms, and social media platforms have been dominated by discussions of eligibility, ethics, and endorsements rather than development plans, youth structures, and the national teams’ performances.
That must change immediately.
The challenges facing our domestic football are well-documented: underfunded grassroots programmes, inconsistent league structures, wavering sponsorship deals, and national teams struggling for consistency.
These are the real battles that need urgent attention and all these call for collective efforts by all of ZIFA’s structures.
Refreshingly, there are reports that the newly-elected leadership has been extending an olive branch to all stakeholders who are well-meaning to come and work together for the good of the game.
Magwizi and his board have stressed that even those who backed rival candidates are part of the global ZIFA family.
Zimbabwean football has been too fractured for many years at the expense of meaningful growth.
The game cannot afford continued divisions; the sport thrives on unity, collaboration, and shared purpose.
After all football is a team sport and not about an individual.
Personal agendas must take a back seat to the greater good of the game.
The credibility of the administration will not be judged by how well they won an election but by what they deliver during their tenure in office, and this includes laying the platform for grassroots development anchored on a strategic Long Term Athlete Development plan and a strategic plan that ensures podium performances and capacity building for administrators and coaches.
Equally, those who lost or feel aggrieved must recognise that football is bigger than any individual.
Prolonging election grievances through endless court battles, protests, or media wars may only serve to stall progress and yet ZIFA cannot afford to regress into the kind of state they were under their previous board, which later invited the SRC’s intervention in November 2021.
Constructive criticism and oversight are necessary, but they should be aimed at ensuring accountability, not settling political scores.
The message is simple: it is time to roll up our sleeves and do the work. The national teams need proper structures to thrive. The domestic league requires stability. The grassroots programmes demand investment.
Sponsors and partners need confidence in the administration’s vision.
Every second spent reliving election disputes is a second stolen from the future of our football.
Each councillor must put shoulders to the wheel in their respective constituencies and move forward.
Football must be the ultimate winner.
Online Reporter