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The move by the ZIFA executive committee to adopt an all-inclusive approach in the search for a panacea to the ills affecting Zimbabwean football is the way to go, if a complete turnaround is to be achieved.
The domestic football leadership have made a commitment to bring stakeholders together following the disappointments faced in the last few years and leading to the recent suspension by FIFA.
Apart from the corruption and maladministration, football administration in the country had become so toxic.
Instead of focusing on the core business of developing the game locally and leading the nation to success on the international stage, endless in-house fighting and the wicked scheming against one another had become the order of the day.
Factions, much worse than those that could be found in politics, had emerged in domestic football leadership.
It got that bad to the extent that some people would never see eye-to-eye, just because of differences in football, some of which were motivated by greed.
These divisions only helped to tear the game apart.
Zimbabwean football has not progressed in the last few decades because of these ills in administration.
From a nation that was once ranked in the top 40 of the global FIFA rankings during the 1990s, it is disappointing to note the massive regression we experienced as a football nation when other countries are actually making strides upwards.
Zimbabwe are now ranked a distant 123rd in the current rankings.
And it could get worse because of the FIFA suspension which will see the country getting sidelined from international football for the next months, and even years if a solution is not quickly found.
The situation has been worse for junior development and women’s football.
These two constituencies have borne most of the brunt of the leadership crisis at ZIFA.
The ZIFA Junior League was disbanded some years back after its leaders questioned how the FIFA grant meant for development was being diverted for other uses.
That has been the state of football in Zimbabwe. Administrators are always at each other’s throats.
The animosity has also been worse among the board members themselves.
The board members are supposed to work in unison for the good of the game, but that has never happened.
Almost in every era, the board would suspend members and suspensions have been used as weapons to subdue rivals.
It has been worse during the election time where the ZIFA Congress members and other aspiring candidates would politicise the whole exercise during the campaign period and the usually dramatic election days.
Most recently, we saw the ZIFA board that was led by Felton Kamambo waging an open warfare against the Sports and Recreation Commission, instead of cooperating with the authorities.
But the egos got us nowhere as a nation because the wrangling only invited suspension by FIFA.
But hats off to the current board, led by interim president Gift Banda. At least they have realised their folly and are making steps to correct he past wrongs.
So far they are in the right tracks. They have managed to thaw the relations with the Sports and Recreation Commission and recently they embarked on a crusade to engage all past ZIFA presidents for advice and assistance.
This is something that had never happened, that past and serving ZIFA presidents would share notes on the state of the game.
They have so far had engagements with Philip Chiyangwa and Cuthbert Dube and next week they are likely to call on Rafik Khan.
At least there are lessons to be learnt both good and bad from the experiences of their predecessors.
The door should be open to all the stakeholders, including the former players, who most of the time have been shut out of administration.
ZIFA should also make sure that nomination fees during the ZIFA elections are not prohibitive.
Former players have often complained that businesspeople abuse the clause to shut out well-meaning football brains, whom they know fully well cannot raise the exorbitant fees to enable them to run for office.
The domestic game is in Intensive Care and it needs input from all interested parties to regain its former glory.
Football is a source of livelihood and employment for many and because of that it should be taken seriously.
President Mnangagwa last week captured the essence of sports as a unifier when he officiated at the opening ceremony of the ICC T20 World Cup qualifier in Bulawayo.
Sport, especially football, should never be weaponised to settle personal scores and egos.
This is the right time to get everyone under one roof and get Zimbabwean football up and running again.
Peter Tanyanyiwa
Online Reporter