Pamire not happy with Normalisation Committee

FORMER Zifa president during whose term Zimbabwe qualified for the 2004 Afcon finals held in Tunisia, Vincent Pamire has castigated the Zifa Normalisation Committee for failing to give the nation hope on the way forward for the game.

The Lincoln Mutasa-led normalisation committee was put in place by Fifa in July to chart a way forward for the game.

Six months down the line, the only notable things are the return to international football and lifting of the ban. There has been little progress on what the nation expects according to Pamire.

Zimbabwe had been banned for almost 18 months from the Fifa family and during the time there were no international matches, referees were not given matches in continental and regional football and courses frozen.

With the ban, Zimbabwe was not getting any Fifa funding until July when the ban was lifted giving Zimbabweans a reprieve to continue mending ties in a highly fractured football environment.

“These guys have been in office for six months and there are few tangibles to talk about if there are any. I am disappointed with the pace at which they are doing things. We want football back to its feet run by people from within the game’s ecosystem. We can’t go on with temporary solutions, they are not meant to be there forever and their time is up in six months.

“If we objectively look at their first six months what have they achieved? Is there hope for the game at this tortoise pace of doing things,” asked Pamire.

The normalisation committee’s term is up on June 30, 2024 and fears are that it is unlikely that elections would have been held at all levels and a new board put in place.

“Another key assignment given to them is to organise elections. This entails putting in place electoral committee to oversee the process. Elections start at Area Zone level, you go to provinces, regions and then board. This is a cumbersome exercise that should take longer than the six months of their tenure which is left. This could point to that they know their stay will be extended otherwise they would have put in a better shift and ensured Zimbabweans run their game.

“Whatever they are doing should be visible. Football can’t afford ambiguity. Let them share what they are doing, plans for the short-term, medium-term and long-term which should be the culmination of elections and return of the Zifa Assembly and board to run Zimbabwe,” Pamire said.

Pamire also castigated individuals who are lining themselves up for positions.

“The jockeying has started, people are strategically aligning themselves with individuals and groups. Football has always had order and a reward system for good leaders, man of integrity who are available to serve the game not for money but service to the nation and the game. These should be identified by the people because this is not a job but voluntarism,” said Pamire.

Pamire was Zifa vice-president from 1996 when he replaced Rodger Muhlwa who stepped down before winning the right to stay in power through elections from 1996 to 2003 when he was in charge for a few months after Leo Mugabe was recalled by the Assembly.

In the few months he was at the helm, Zimbabwe won the Cosafa Cup and qualified for the Afcon finals held in Tunisia in 2004.

He was however, beaten by Rhafik Khan in the Zifa elections held in November of 2003.