daniel chigunwe
WE have a new ZIFA boss and Nqobile Magwizi won by a landslide on Saturday after picking 61 of the 72 valid votes which were cast.
It was a blowout as he won 85 percent of the vote.
There were four spoiled votes while one got disqualified.
Former ZIFA board member in charge of finance, Philemon Machana, the only member of the Felton Kamambo executive who tried to make a comeback in these polls, finished a distant second with six votes.
Former PSL chairman Twine Phiri got just four votes while Marshall Gore got one vote.
Makwinji Soma-Phiri, the former Dynamos and Highlanders forward, did not get even a single vote. It’s a resounding win for Magwizi whose first official assignment is representing ZIFA at the 2025 AFCON finals draw in Morocco this evening.
He said all the right things after winning the poll on Saturday, promising to unite Zimbabwean football after years in which it has struggled under the weight of divisions and polarisation.
He spoke about how the local game suffered from the Covid-19 pandemic and then the impact of the FIFA suspension after the world football governing body deemed that the intervention of the Sports Commission was tantamount to third party interference.
He said he feels Zimbabwe football is 30 years behind and his leadership has to hit the ground running and provide solutions to the challenges which the game is facing.
He said his leadership has to transform ZIFA into an institution that can deliver, rebuild trust and bring in partners.
He said it was important to ensure that the Warriors play their home matches in this country and not on foreign soil.
To ensure that is possible, renovations of the National Sports Stadium are at an advanced stage.
The good thing is that Magwizi was one of the leading officials involved in the renovation of the giant stadium, before he became the ZIFA boss, and he knows what needs to be done.
As in all elections, there will always be those who cry foul and make all sorts of allegations regarding the process.
Their concerns should be heard and addressed.
But, what isn’t in denial is that Magwizi was a very popular candidate in the ZIFA poll and he should be given the chance to ensure that he makes the interventions necessary to ensure that our national game gets to breathe again. He has the correct background as a business executive and he has the right connections to make a difference.
He knows the whole country is watching and hoping that bhe provides the leadership which can ensure that our national game punches according to its weight.
He is a refreshingly fresh face in the game who is not bogged down by the politics which have always burdened the sport.
We wish Magwizi and his team, which has some exciting young faces, all the best.
The ball is in their court.
Online Reporter