‘Please vote wisely’

THE PIONEERS. . . Lovemore Gijima Msindo (centre) has made a rallying cry to zifa councillors to help bring sanity back into local football which would once again see the country producing talented players such as Mike “Dutchman” Maringa (left) and Gilbert “Gidza” Mushangazhike, who went on to play professional football in South Africa in the late 1990s

Sports Reporters
SEASONED soccer administrator Lovemore Gijima Msindo has made a passionate plea to the ZIFA councillors to vote wisely and not to be “swayed by money and flamboyance” during next month’s elections.

At the polls that have been slated in for December 5, 58 ZIFA councillors will be looking at bringing into office the right people who will be tasked to bring Zimbabwean football back on its feet.

Local football had been plunged into a dark era since the now deposed ZIFA president Cuthbert Dube took over the running of the affairs at 53 Livingstone Avenue in March 2010 before he was unceremoniously kicked out of office at the beginning of last month.

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This came after the ZIFA councillors decided to revoke Dube’s mandate as their leader at an extra-ordinary meeting in Harare.

The Harare business executive had been under a lot of pressure to relinquish his post after losing the key support of the councillors who had elected him for a fresh four-year term as ZIFA president in March last year.

And the departure of Dube paved the way for the December 5 elections in which the ZIFA councillors will be voting to bring in a new board that is expected to bring sanity back into local football.

The elections have attracted prospective candidates with various backgrounds and they include businesspeople, lawyers, administrators and former players.

Ex-Premier Soccer League secretary-general Leslie Gwindi, South Africa-based businessman and former ZIFA leader Trevor Carelse-Juul, Harare businessman Philip Chiyangwa and former national team player James Takavada are vying for the president’s post.

For the vice president’s post there are now two prospective candidates — former Dynamos chairman Lincoln Mutasa and Omega Sibanda — following the withdrawal of seasoned administrator Elkhana Dube.

Ten submissions were made for the four executive committee members’ posts with the three Division One chairpersons — Eastern Region’s Piraishe Mabhena, Musa Mandaza of the Southern Region and Central Region’s Felton Kamambo — among the aspiring candidates.

Former referee Wilfred Mukuna, beach soccer chairperson Joseph Musariri, CAPS United board chairperson and lawyer Lewis Uriri, Lengthens director and Harare City councillor Beadle Gwasira and former Division One club owner Jackson Munyaka are also vying for the four slots that are available for the ZIFA board members.

Former Warriors player Edzai Kasinauyo, women’s football club owner Philemon Machana, who owns Conduit, complete the list for the aspiring candidates for the four board members posts up for grabs.

And one of the Premier Soccer League’s founding members, Gijima Msindo, has urged the ZIFA councillors to make a wise decision by voting for the right people into office in the upcoming elections.

Msindo said there is need for the councillors to vote for people who can take football to another level and noted that the future of the game lies with the councillors who will vote on December 5.

He also pleaded with the ZIFA councillors to “think with their heads and not stomachs” when they gather on December 5 to vote in Dube’s successor.

“I just hope the ZIFA councillors will vote wisely, they should not be swayed by bribery and flamboyance or they risk taking the game back to the dark days of the Cuthbert Dube era. Our football urgently needs to be led by people who are credible and of complete integrity; and it is the duty or obligation of these councillors to bring in such people.

“All eyes will be on these ZIFA councillors when they vote on December 5 and it is up to them to decide whether they want short-term or long-term solutions for our football which they handed into the wrong hands when they voted in Cuthbert Dube as their president the last time they voted.

“Definitely, I think it is the right time for us now to have these elections. The fact that we now know the guys that want to be involved in the ZIFA structures, I think there are certain things that we have to consider.

“The first thing is the councillors. Our councillors are the ones who are there to make a decision to the best of their ability for the best of the sport. ZIFA doesn’t need money but needs good and sound administrators.

“How do you judge that someone is a good administrator? One should have a traceable record. For example, if you are running a football club in Division Three, Division Two or Division One, there must be a record that you have been running a football club.

“For example, if you are running a club in Division Three we want a record showing your performance. A person like myself, I started a football club in Division Two, Zimbabwe Leopards then changed its name to Fire Batteries. We were in Division One for two years and were then promoted to the Premiership. Those are the records that we need if we are talking about people that have been in football. I proved that I had the abilities to run football.

“So that is how we can judge the potential and say this guy is a good administrator and a football person. So basically, if someone wants to vie for the highest office at ZIFA he or she should have traceable records,” said Msindo.

Msindo said people should be elected into office on merit and added that there is need for new blood to take charge of the game instead of recycling those that had their chances and failed.

Some of the people that have been at ZIFA before include Carelse-Juul and Omega Sibanda.

“In regards to former players, a good player may not necessarily become a good administrator at the same time but they can learn to become good administrators.

“We need guys who have got football at heart. These guys with a few bucks go around giving money to the councillors to spoil the game.

“So I am of the opinion that councillors should not accept small bribes for the sake of a few individuals who want personal glory. There is no point in recycling people.

“At the moment if you look at the state of the game (in Zimbabwe) the potential is huge. We now have a Minister of Sport and the fact that the Government went to the extent of clearing the Brazilian coach’s (Valinhos) debt is what we want.

“Once we have the right people running our football, people will start coming in, sponsors and revenue will start coming in. I am appealing to the councillors to make the right decisions not to be bought by money.

“We need new guys, a mixture of former players and credible administrators so that we have a balance and at the end of the day we can achieve our goal. People with money should come in with donations,” said Msindo.

Recently, former Zimbabwe Olympic Committee president Tommy Sithole questioned the timing of the ZIFA elections in a post on his Facebook page.

“How Zimbabwe football hopes it can sort out its deep-seated problems with just an election boggles the mind. It’s the same councillors, the same structures.

“Don’t Zimbabweans need to pause first, sort out the entire football mess, I mean like firing the voting councillors themselves for allowing the rot in the first place, re-organise ZIFA and then organise elections? Surely, an interim arrangement could be put in place for now until sometime next year,” said Sithole.