adminEddie Chikamhi Sports Reporter
ZIFA are mulling plans to reduce leakages at the gates after the association was left in the red despite a good crowd that came to watch the African Cup of Nations qualifier between the Warriors and Swaziland at the National Sports Stadium on Easter Monday.
According to official figures released by ZIFA board member finance Philemon Machana, 28 063 people paid to watch the match but the association’s president Phillip Chiyangwa argued that the attendance was much higher and bemoaned the leakages that continue to rob them of potential revenue.
ZIFA grossed US$92 009 and the football mother body once again had to be bailed out by their benefactor Wicknell Chivayo who chipped in with an additional $32 000 to help meet some of the expenses for the back to back fixtures.
From the gate revenue $40 000 was paid directly to the players who are still owed varying amounts from the previous board.
Machana said air-tickets to fly some of the overseas players and the Comoros match officials who handled the match on Monday gobbled about $53 000, apart from the other direct match expenses.
The ZIFA finance man said since they do not have many partners to sponsor them, the association need improved controls at the turnstiles to maximise on the gate takings.
Machana said the association would soon invite tenders for a ticketing partner to provide the compu-ticket services so that they close all potential leakages.
“We are saying as ZIFA we don’t have many partners that are coming on board and we should do more by making sure that through that which we have control on, which is on the gate takings, we make as much by making sure we have a full house each time we play a match and by making sure that we close all leakages so that every dollar should go to the players.
“You will also be pleased to know that $40 000 of this amount went directly to the players with the rest being accounted for other costs.
“We obviously had our own partner coming on board and assisting, which you are all aware of, but going forward we still need other corporate partners to come on board so that we should be able to give the players much more, instead of the $40 000 that we paid,” said Machana.
“All the money which we collected, save that paid to the players, went directly to expenses that are related to the match itself. Only $2 500 went to the office operations.
“You realise that we played two matches back to back, one in Swaziland and one here. Part of the money actually went towards some debts which we created when we went to Swaziland.”
Zimbabwe thrashed Swaziland 4-0 to take control of Group L in the qualifiers. But it’s still game on after their biggest rivals Guinea sprung back to life following a 2-1 win in Malawi.
The Warriors are on eight points, three ahead of Guinea and Swaziland with only two matches remaining in the qualifiers.
Callisto Pasuwa and his men would need to keep their feet on the ground and aim for maximum points especially in their next home game against Malawi in June.
They will round off with a tricky away fixture to Guinea in September.
Online Reporter