‘Govt key stakeholder in football’

Don Makanyanga

Zimpapers Sports Hub

ASPIRING ZIFA board member Tafadzwa Benza believes the involvement of The Government in sport will have a positive impact on the growth of the industry in the country.

The global football industry is valued at around US$3,9 billion and is expected to grow to more than US$5 billion by 2032.

Benza, who is vying for a board member position, believes that there is a need to involve the Government in football to unlock the value of the industry in the country.

“Sport, in particular football, has become a big industry; hence it is very important that the government is involved in sport and, in particular, football.

“We need their support for the industry to thrive and unlock the value that football has,” said Benza.

Benza, who has highlighted strategic partnerships as one of the key areas in his manifesto, identifies the government as one of the key stakeholders.

He said there is a need to engage the government to come up with policies that will have tax rebates on companies that support sport.

“Government is a strategic partner for football and sport at large; their support is not having the government run ZIFA or PSL, but just like any industry, the government impacts how well our industry runs.

“The Government can come in various forms, which includes an allocation of funds that goes towards football development, infrastructure development, and support of national teams, and also the enactment of policies that allow companies that sponsor sports (football) to gain some tax rebates on the amounts they use.

“I acknowledge that we must put our house in order first before the government can start helping football fully,” he said.

The Herentals FC chairman believes that before having companies come to sport to enjoy the tax rebates that will be offered by the Government, there is a need to make football attractive to companies to come in to partner.

“Sponsorship packages typically mean that companies are able to market themselves through events and games that the team they sponsor are a part of. Unfortunately, our numbers haven’t been enough to encourage enough sponsorship to come.

“It hasn’t been making business sense to the company that sponsors any sport.

So policies like tax credits (redirecting part of taxes due towards sports) on sponsorship from companies can be a positive push from government to companies to start sponsoring sports fully,” said Benza.

He believes that once there is proper partnership between the government and ZIFA, football in itself can play a key role in the economic development of the country.

“I mention aspects like producing talents that can be sold outside the county to earn us money, and these players will ultimately be able to send back money to the country, and with proper infrastructure, we can prop up sports tourism.

“Football must play its part in contributing to the economic growth agenda we have as a country,” said Benza.