Online Reporter
Mugove Chigada-Zimpapers Sports Hub
BARRING a dramatic twist, ZIFA president Nqobile Magwizi is unlikely to accept Wicknell Chivayo’s car gift offered as an appreciation to his work after one year in office, Zimpapers Sports Hub can reveal.
This is because Magwizi’s hands are tied by FIFA statutes as Chivayo has direct sponsorship links with Premier Soccer League sides, Scottland and Highlanders.
Article 21 of the FIFA Code of Ethics 2023, which prohibits individuals from offering or accepting improper advantages, means the ZIFA boss will have to let the car gift pass.
According to the said article and section 1, “persons bound by this Code may only offer or accept gifts or other benefits to and from persons within or outside FIFA, or in conjunction with intermediaries or related parties as defined in this Code, where such gifts or benefits: have symbolic or trivial value . . . ”.
The 2026 Range Rover Sport, D350 Autobiography Limited Edition, worth US$250.000 is a huge gift by any measure.
While Magwizi is known to be appreciative of Chivayo’s efforts to turn around football, he will have to let go the gift to be FIFA compliant, insiders said yesterday.
Chivayo has of late been one of local football greatest benefactors, supporting mostly the national team, Scottland and Highlanders. Zimpapers Sports Hub understands the association as a whole hold the businessman in high regard and appreciate the big difference he has made in football.
The businessman’s support for the national game began 11 years ago when he helped ZIFA, then under the leadership of Philip Chiyangwa pay outstanding dues to Belgian coach Tom Saintfiet, which averted a FIFA ban from competing in the 2018 World Cup qualifiers.
As ZIFA benefactor, he also purchased cars for use by then Warriors and Mighty Warriors coaches — Kalisto Pasuwa and Shadreck Mlauzi.
Just yesterday Chivayo was handing over a luxury bus to PSL giants Highlanders as part of their 2026 promised package.
“The association values him highly because of the impact he has on football. But this case provides a big challenge,” said the source.
“But this has also been a huge learning curve for the association as well in helping stakeholders understand football protocols. Football cannot do without people like Chivayo and many other corporates.
“Most of the stakeholders are very innocent and not aware of some of the FIFA statutes, so the association must find ways that help them fully benefit.”
Of late, Chivayo has supported Scottland in bringing on board head coach Norman Mapeza and team manager Peter Ndlovu to Scottland.
And recently he also pledged to pay Benjani Mwaruwari’s benefits as coach of Highlanders on behalf of the club while supporting the club’s bid to rebuild the team for the 2026 season.
In his latest pledge, “Sir Wicknell’’, as he is popularly known, hailed president Magwizi for hitting the ground running, restoring the ZIFA secretariat, reactivating governance systems and bringing transparency and order to the association.
“For the first time in many years, Zimbabwe’s football mother body is functioning under an organised and transparent administrative structure,” he wrote on social media.
In the past, stories on FIFA code of ethics and gifts that hogged the limelight include that of 2014 when FIFA’s ethics committee ordered football officials to return luxury Parmigiani watches gifted to them.
Circumstances were that during the World Cup, the Brazilian Football Confederation (CBF) distributed 65 gift bags, each containing a valuable Parmigiani watch worth US$26 600.
The action was done in good faith but FIFA ethics ruled the day.
