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Zimpapers Sports Hub
THERE was a time when the Zimbabwe senior team was the envy of the region due to their brand of football, which almost always had the stadiums filled to capacity.
Back then, the Warriors were known as the “Dream Team, with their late, charismatic German coach, Reinhard Fabisch, driving the side.
Players like Bruce Grobbelaar, Peter Ndlovu, the late quartet of Adam Ndlovu, Benjamin Nkonjera, Francis Shonhayi, and Mercedes “Rambo” Sibanda were key figures as the Warriors held the nation spellbound and came within just 90 minutes of qualifying for the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations.
Although this team failed to qualify for any major tournaments, largely because of the restrictive criteria used back then, it still captured the imagination of many, and stakeholders still speak glowingly of that era even now.
The driver of the orchestra, Fabisch, had been hired on a government-to-government technical agreement.
And that is what ZIFA executive ordinary member aspirants Sharif Mussa and Edward Mutukwa want to bring back to the national game.
The pair is vying for two of the six available executive member slots in the epoch-changing ZIFA elections set for Saturday.
Mussa and Mutukwa might be on separate campaign trails, but there are some similarities in the vision and passion they share for Zimbabwean football.
They will have to shrug off the challenges of 37 other contestants to land the posts.
Mussa, as an experienced football administrator as they come, said it is his intention to approach the relevant authorities and map out a strategy to bring back the government-to-Government technical agree-ments as a matter of urgency if elected on the board.
“Look, our football is not as far behind as we might think. We just need to twinkle a bit and do the right thing. We need those government-to-government technical partnerships in place, and that will partly answer our technical puzzle.
“That is how other nations are thriving in the field of play. We can’t lag behind. We need to have sound relations with all stakeholders in order to do this,” said Mussa.
“On top of that, we also need to make sure that football is played across the country with everyone getting the same opportunity in terms of exposure.
“That means we need devolution through football profit around the 10 provinces of the country.
“Across the provinces, we also need to have a land bank as the Zimbabwe Football Association. Our people should also be aided in assuming strategic membership in regional, continental, and international bodies.
“The FA Cup needs to return, and it should be competed for by everyone across the country.”
Mutukwa, who has been active in rural football development over the past 10 years and is also the Black Rhinos chairman, said government-to-government technical agreements can be the answer to the generally poor performances by national teams.
“Let’s be practical here. We need to bring back those Fabisch memories. We need those government-to-government technical relations, and that will go a long way in addressing our technical development issues right from the grassroots.
“We are saying let’s sanitise ZIFA and make it a reputable organisation with sound relations with the government as the major stakeholder and engage all other key players in a mutually beneficial way,” said Mutukwa.
He also hailed Themba Mliswa’s decision to withdraw his High Court case where the latter was seeking to have the Saturday elections stopped.
“The decision by Mliswa to withdraw his case shows that we have people in Zimbabwe with intra-generational altruism,” Mutukwa said.
“The area of sport and football in general is an issue of national security concern that should be approached with collective national interests rather than individual interests.
“Football is a tool for soft power and diplomatic relations in that it unites people of different origins, races, and tribes.
“Furthermore, it extends national relations as a way of public diplomacy; thus, as a ZIFA Board member, I will zero in on this vital aspect.
“It is also a tonic for health and physiological security through exercises. It is necessary to align the vision for ZIFA with the national aspirations, as football is a symbol of pride and national recognition; it hoists the national flag and emblem.
“Apart from this, it ensures economic security through mass employment of the youth, contributing towards GDP growth and infrastructure development leading to social stability,” Mutukwa said.
Online Reporter