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Robson Sharuko
Senior Sports Editor
IT’S an explosive debate, which many African countries have found themselves having to deal with, in a game terribly short on sound leadership and long on controversy.
Should the authorities flex their muscle, disband the elected leadership of their football and, in the process, bring some sort of sanity to their national game?
Or, should they fold their arms, and let the band play on, because such an intervention will inevitably provoke a strong response from FIFA, including suspension, from the world football governing body?
It’s such a fine line and, given the complexity of the exercise, the authorities have, more often than not, found themselves being forced to just watch from a distance.
The FIFA officials in Zurich have already provided the ZIFA board with a defensive shield, after the Sports and Recreation Commission tried to replace the local football leadership, with a normalisation committee.
FIFA, through their deputy secretary-general (administration), Alasdair Bell, advised the SRC the conditions prevailing at ZIFA, then, did not warrant an intervention that would see the board being disbanded.
Bell said while FIFA always expected bodies like ZIFA to be fully accountable and, if required, submit to the authorities all relevant information regarding the use of public funds, they didn’t believe there was need for the removal of the board led by Felton Kamambo.
At the weekend, my colleague, our Deputy News Editor, Kudakwashe Mugari, revived this debate, arguing the time had come for authorities, in this country, to suspend the ZIFA board, despite the possible consequences that would come with such a decision.
Mugari is a passionate football fan, who also spent time as part of the administration of the game, when he was one of the officials who were running a Division One club.
He argued domestic football has suffered a lot, from poor leadership, and even if the country was banned for a number of years, for daring to dissolve the leadership of the game, it would be a sacrifice worth the grand mission to reposition the sport.
But, why Mugari’s argument looks solid, what he appeared to overlook was the collateral damage which, a ban from FIFA, would have on the game in this country.
The Warriors, for instance, will be the first casualties, as they would be thrown out of the current qualifiers for the next AFCON finals in Cameroon.
Others can argue that, at times, it’s necessary to pay such a huge cost, for the long-term benefits of the game.
But, why should players, who have served their country with distinction, and derive a lot of pride in doing so, be punished for the sins of their leaders, in the event that a dissolution of the ZIFA board, is effected?
Why should someone like Knowledge Musona, who has served his country well for the past decade, be denied a chance to try, probably for the last time, to lead the Warriors, for the first time, into the knockout stages of the Nations Cup finals?
Musona is 30, and will be 31, five months before his 32nd birthday, when the next AFCON finals are held in Cameroon.
The same question can be asked when it comes to Khama Billiat, the other player who has served his country well, as a committed Warrior.
He will also be 31, a few months short of his 32nd birthday, when the next Nations Cup finals are held in Cameroon and, this could be his last chance, to try and drag his team to the knockout stages of the AFCON finals.
Why should someone like Tino Kadewere, who has been doing well in France, be denied the chance to represent his country, at the AFCON finals, when he is reaching the peak of his athletic powers, simply because his federation’s leaders had to be punished?
Why should this generation, which has taken their country to the AFCON finals twice, and are on course to take it to a third straight Nations Cup appearance, for the first time in our history, be punished for the sins of their leaders?
And, why should the same generation, whom we gave a raw deal by denying them a chance to take part in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers, again suffer the pain of missing the qualifiers for the 2022 World Cup qualifiers, because the leadership of their association had to be dissolved?
But, more importantly, there is more to domestic football than the Warriors.
Why should the best of our teenage players, especially those with the potential of making a living outside our borders, find themselves unable to make that transition, simply because they can’t be transferred, given their country would have been banned from international football?
The FIFA Transfer Matching System, which enables a Zimbabwean player to complete his move to a foreign side, is linked to the ZIFA system and, with the association outlawed from the international football family, it means the next generation of our stars will not be able to make such moves.
For instance, the Mighty Warriors captain, Emmaculate Msipa, would not have completed her move to a Spanish side, last week, had Zimbabwe been suspended from FIFA.
Why should someone like Msipa, who has not erred and whose dream is just to ensure she fulfils her dream to become a professional footballer, be punished for the sins of her game’s leaders?
Why should the leadership of FC Platinum, who have invested so much just to try and keep the game moving in this country, be punished, with their team barred from the Confederation Cup, simply because some people at ZIFA have to be punished?
It’s a tired argument to say that, after all, the Zvishavane side are crashing out of the tournament, after their loss at home yesterday, because there is still a second leg to be played and, in this game, anything can happen.
It’s also unfair not to consider that, it was because of their campaign on the African safari, that someone like Perfect Chikwende was able to get a foreign suitor prepared to give him, and his family, a better life.
Then, there is also the false argument that, in the event FIFA slap us with, let’s say a two-year ban, for dissolving the ZIFA board, we will automatically be readmitted, after that ban has lapsed.
Well, the reality is that, until that board is reinstated, in order for them to complete the remainder of their mandate, the ban will remain in effect.
One can understand the anger, among those who question why some public officials, like those who run ZIFA, should be given the free hit, to do as they please, with FIFA providing them with cover, every time authorities in their respective countries try to bring them to account.
But, before we are led by our emotions, it’s important to calculate the cost and, sadly, those who are likely to suffer have nothing to do with the challenges facing the game.
Online Reporter