adminRay Bande Senior Sports Reporter
SOCCER fans across the divide have called for the immediate sacking of the Zifa board and urged the nation to readily embrace the aftermath, including a possible ban from all international football activities, following confirmation that the country will not be part of the Russia 2018 World Cup qualifiers.
For the first time since Independence in 1980, Zimbabwe will be the only African country that will not be part of the 2018 World Cup qualifiers after being expelled from the tournament for failing to pay former coach, Jose Claudinei Georgini, popularly known as Valihnos.
Zimbabwe’s fate was sealed on July 9 when the world’s football governing body met to finalise on the format to be used in the qualifiers and Zimbabwe was not part of the list of African teams in the qualifiers.
On Saturday, a draw for the African zone qualifiers for the tournament in Russia will take place, with matches set to kick off in October.
This week, Post Sport went to the streets of Mutare to find out the public feel about the 2018 World Cup ban.
Washington Mandikutse of Chikanga, whose analysis was more defeatist, said being banned from the 2018 World Cup does not make any difference to him given that chances were very high that the country would not even qualify for the global soccer showcase even if it had not been banned.
“It is sad news indeed that we will not be part of the qualifiers, but it is worth noting that even if we had been given the chance to play in the qualifiers we would still not qualify.
“The problem in our midst is that we have people hanging on to posts that they can hardly make good use of. It is also important to note that we have also become a nation with an ‘I don’t care attitude’.
“We seem to be saying to ourselves Cherozvazvaita (People no longer care). To them whatever happens, so be it and this is what we get from that,” he said.
Lincoln Matubu of Dangamvura said the situation that country finds itself in is as good as being banned from international football after dismantling Zifa.
“I think we have come to a point where we have to really think hard and see if we are going anywhere as a nation in football. Even if Government intervenes, I do not see any problem because we are as good as banned from international football.
“Yes, there are families that survive from football and for their sake one would not want us banned from international competitions, but on the other side we keep asking ourselves the question: ‘For how many more years shall we continue under this inept football leadership?’
“Dube and his board have failed and it is there for everyone to see. What we keep wondering about is the reason why Dube continue clinging to that post even after all the misery that he has seen our football go through under his leadership,” he said.
Football’s world governing body Fifa said in a statement that it had taken the action “as a result of the non-payment of an outstanding debt”.
Fifa added that Zimbabwe’s Football Association (Zifa) failed to make the payments despite a grace period.
Zifa is in dire financial trouble, with debts of more than US$4 million (£2,7 million), and was recently forced to auction assets from its Fifa-financed training centre to settle a legal dispute with a former employee.
The financial problems date back a long way and when Georgini, nicknamed Valinhos, was appointed in 2008, it was announced that the Brazilian’s salary would be paid by the Zimbabwe Tourism Authority as part of a 2010 World Cup Memorandum Of Understanding between the tourism body and Zifa.
It is understood that Valinhos is owed $67 000 in salary and allowances from his spell as coach between January and November 2008.
Some took to social media platform Facebook, expressing their discontent over the latest development.
The Sunday Mail Religion Editor, Fatima Bhula, penned: “You have a football association that fails to send a women’s football national team for an international assignment. The same association oversees the senior national team failing to make it to the World Cup draw and still is not moved. When you have a football association which has lost its conscience, then you know you are in trouble.”
Under Bhula’s post, Lucias Mathew Dumeya: “You are seeing the TRUTH, something is wrong about the principals in sport. Ever since independence have we seen this nonsense, rubbish from a national body. Pathetic indeed, am not a Zimbabwean football fan I could have demonstrated to remove the ZIFA BOARD. All members are a disgrace and should resign enmasse.”
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