Phiri bounces back with unique project

Robson Sharuko Senior Sports Editor
FOUR years after he left his post as PSL chairman in acrimonious circumstances, Twine Phiri says he is refreshed and wants to have a role to play in domestic football administration again.

The former CAPS United president is now leading a process to try and bring together former and current club leaders, secretary-generals, treasurers and committee members under a single representative organisation.

The Harare businessman was forced to relinquish his post as PSL chairman after ZIFA argued he had lost his position as the Green Machine boss and, as such, could not then lead the top-flight clubs.

Although Phiri received the strong backing of CAPS United, and the PSL clubs who, two years earlier had elected him president with an overwhelming mandate of 12 votes to the three received by his then challenger, ex-Dynamos boss Kenny Mubaiwa, ZIFA refused to budge.

And, Phiri, concerned with the damage the issue was inflicting on the league, especially the sponsors he had worked hard to bring on board after taking over the top-flight when it didn’t have even a single sponsor, decided to walk away.

He has generally watched the boardroom drama, associated with the administration of domestic football, from a distance in the past four years without plunging into the toxic politics.

But, yesterday, Phiri said he was now done with the rest period and, although he emphasised he had no intention of plunging back onto the political minefield, he believed he could bring together some of the best brains in the game to come under one umbrella.

‘‘We have had a tendency of just discarding guys once they are no longer in positions of authority, I mean, once they are no longer the presidents, vice-presidents, secretary-generals and treasurers of our football clubs,’’ he said.

‘‘I have been thinking about this for a long time and I believe that a lot of these guys who, while they might be on the sidelines, still have a lot to offer to our football even though they might not directly be involved in the day-to-day running of the game.’’

‘‘These are guys who have seen it all, have been there and done it, some of them have a number of league titles under their belts, when they ran their clubs, and they know a lot about football.’’

‘‘If you can add the experience that is found among those guys, it’s immense, it’s amazing, and while many of them don’t have any ambitions of going back into the trenches to be part of the running of the clubs, or leagues or the association, they have a lifelong love for the game.’’

‘‘That’s why I have been thinking that, maybe, we can get these guys together, under one umbrella, and they can meet and share ideas and, as and when they are approached by those in charge of the game, they can also give their input for the direction which can be taken.’’

‘‘When you bring them together with those who are running the game, then you have a healthy set-up and they can interact, under one umbrella, for the good of our football.’’

‘‘It has to be made very clear that we are not interested in trying to come up with what some could consider a parallel structure of leadership, those who are in leadership are there because they were elected and must be supported, our role isn’t to undermine them.’’

‘‘Our role is to bring the brains of some of the best football leaders we have in this country, who are or are not part of the direct administration of the game, under one organisation, we need to find each other and talk about issues that affect us.’’

Phiri said the football players, including those who retired, now have their powerful voice through the Footballers Union of Zimbabwe and it was time the past administrators also found their tent and voice, too.

‘‘It’s about representing each other, having an organisation that takes care of our interests where, for instance, if one of us falls under hard times, we can reach out to each other and find ways how we can help him or her.’’

‘‘The footballers have set a standard, with their FUZ, which has been one of the best organisations to happen to our football and I was charmed by the way they came together and raised money, through their network, to help their colleague, Partson Jaure, when he was involved in that accident.’’

‘‘That made me think long and hard about what we can do, the people who were leading them, if we come under one roof and do even more than what the players are doing.’’

‘‘We can even open the organisation to those who are currently in the trenches, I mean, the presidents, he vice-presidents, the secretary-generals and the treasurers and they can come and join us and we can then have our powerful union that takes care of our interests.’’

‘‘This is the direction taken by other countries and we shouldn’t be left behind and I have been working on the project and will now be consulting my colleagues to see how best we can move forward.’’