adminCosmas Zulu Talking Football
GATE charges for our football matches, $5 for the rest of the ground and $10 or $15 for VIP and wing stands are unreasonable because:
• We don’t have high-class stadia • Watching on open stands with no protection from the sun and rain
• VIP stands with no cushions; you cannot come putting on a good “Boss label suit” because the seating will be dirty with bird droppings.
• Spectators’ cars outside the stadia are not given enough security
• Watching the kind of football where 90 minutes is played with less than five shots on target
• You cannot see a team stringing six complete passes at any given time.
• No player can dribble more than two opponents.
• High balls are the order of the day
• If God wanted football to be played in the sky He could have put grass over there.
In South Africa, PSL the charges are 40 Rand in a high-class stadia. Local spectators are punished for bad management from clubs who over the years failed to generate funds. They don’t feel sorry for financially-pressed fans.
I am the only coach who has worked for the four PSL teams in Bulawayo in the 30 years I have been a coach. The clubs are Highlanders, Amazulu, Railstars and Zimbabwe Saints. I will talk about Highlanders and Zimbabwe Saints. The late Cephas Mkhonto-led executive bought the Saints clubhouse in the late 80s.
Highlanders’ Ndumiso Gumede executive, the treasurer being the late Micah Gumpo bought the Highlanders club house in the eighties as well.
By the way Micah Gumpo died last year. No Highlanders FC officials attended the funeral to bid the man farewell, a man who left some legacy at the club. Rest in peace Mr Shylock. We gave him that nickname because the man would not just release money to you without you giving him a good reason.
You could travel to Harare, and the man would come back with his money without having bought anything along the way. Waye ngumpondo kayitshintshwa.
These executives from the two clubs had vision to leave legacies to the present club officials for example,
• The clubs have spent more than 20 years hiring grounds to train
• How much money could the clubs have saved if they had developed the grounds on their premises?
• Give some renovations on the premises so as to get them hired for functions like weddings, musical shows, birthday’s parties etc.
• Buying properties for example houses, flats to let to the public. You can’t tell me in 20 years the clubs could not buy at least one or two houses in the leafy suburbs. How much would the value of those houses be now?
• How much money would these two popular teams have made over these years?
It’s never too late to start these projects. I have seen the good management skills shown by Peter Dube executive at Highlanders by stopping to reward failure and saving money for the good of the club. Your junior teams do not have equipment to use yet you go and spend thousands of dollars in one night at an awards ceremony and come January you do not have funds for your pre-season camping.
Please club officials in the country do not get these positions for personal mileage. Go in and leave a legacy and see the bigger picture. For the coaches think big. Where can we get funds for our future players, juniors and build good teams for the next 10 years and sustain good results those which the present team is producing and have our own stadiums?
Only when we think and act along those lines will our football develop in the country. Until next week
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