I’ve big plans for football, says Dube

Augustine Hwata Sports Reporter
AFTER serving as Zifa board president for the last four years, Cuthbert Dube’s has made some friends and foes along the way.
Dube’s term had its failures and success stories and he believes that the success far outweigh the failures.
He said completing various projects at the Zifa Village, bringing in Fifa president Sepp Blatter and the Warriors’ success story at the African Nations Championship in South Africa recently were some of the highlights of his tenure.
He still looks back at Asiagate as proof of his house-cleaning exercise in Zimbabwean football.

To some people, Dube does not have a strong moral ground to stand for the Zifa president, given that his image had been battered after allegations were made that he was being paid outrageous amounts while the organisation he was heading — Premier Medical Aid Society — was struggling.

“I know I still have the confidence of the corporate world and even my fellow executives in business know that the salaries that are being peddled do not come anywhere near that.

“But I will respond to that when the right time comes and there could be some litigation, too, over the reports.
“Football is my passion. Football is my life and I have spent the better part of my life contributing to the game as benefactor or sponsor,” he says in his manifesto.

Dube is the founder of Buymore FC and was the first chairman of the Zifa Eastern Region where he sponsors the Sylvia Dube Memorial Tournament in honour of his late wife.

“Of all the years that I have humbly served Zimbabwean football in various capacities, the past four year have been the most challenging experience I have had.

“My first term of office made me realise how our football became so polarised, how much the custodians of football and the ordinary people have different ideas on how football should be run.

“I have drawn experience from members of my board and realised that all of us at, certain points in our lives, need to take advice and receive help from other people who share the same passion for football as I do.

“From inheriting a debt ridden organisation, to tackling the Asiagate monster and so much in between, capping those four years with the Warriors success at Chan, it indeed has been lessons for me throughout.

“It’s these lessons that I have learnt well and I plan to build on as I seek re-election for the post of Zifa president,” Dube said.
Dube admits that his board failed to attract more sponsors and the failure by the national team to qualify for the World Cup and Nations Cup was a low key.

“Our board failed to attract sponsors mainly because of Asiagate and the general bad name of Zifa which has always been associated with financial mismanagement.

“The down-turn in our economy did not assist the situation either,” he said.
Dube acknowledges that his board failed to pay fees to the external auditors for the 2013 statements and the auditors are still holding to the financial results while several former coaches want their outstanding dues settled.

But on the flip side, Dube is proud to have convinced Blatter visit Zimbabwe and the completion Fifa Goal Projects were also a milestone for him.
“For the first time in the history of Zimbabwe, Fifa appointed a Zimbabwean, myself, to serve on a Standing Committee of Fifa. Two days ago, I received a letter from Fifa where I have been re-appointed and I also serve on CAF committees.

“My board revived the Fifa Goal Projects which had been stopped by Fifa for many years because of the financial mismanagement by previous Zifa boards.

“We successfully completed the accommodation block, the conference centre and the near completion of an artificial turf are testimony of the assistance that Zifa now gets from Fifa,” he said.

Dube said he also sourced funds from Fifa to build a modern headquarters for Zifa along Airport Road while all the provinces could also benefit by having their own premises and thus serving on rentals.

He hopes to revive the Zifa Cup, work closely with the PSL and see that the Warriors qualify for Afcon 2015 and the World Cup in 2018.
He also promises to hold weekly updates on the state of our football to kill any speculation and also get ideas on moving forward while he said has already approached several ministries to see if Zifa could be given farms under the land reform programme.

“Zifa could also create employment on the farms. I also have a strong belief that locals should lead our national teams and should be seconded to Brazil, Germany or Spain to advance,” he said.

Some quarters feel that if he is re-elected Dube should restructure his secretariat where the chief executive Jonathan Mashingaidze had been in constant clashes with national team coach Ian Gorowa.