daniel chigunwe
Petros Kausiyo
Zimpapers Sports Hub
FOR over two decades, Felix Sapao has traversed the jungles of African football, with the Malawian agent handling different roles varying from player and coach management to consultancy for clubs and national associations.
This week Sapao, who was instrumental in securing the L-Sporto kit deal that Zimbabwe’s Warriors wore on their Africa Cup of Nations debut in Tunisia in 2004, was back in this country after an eight-year absence.
He is, however, not amused with what he observed about the domestic Premiership and yesterday challenged the elite local clubs to evolve and match the global football trends.
One of the key areas that Sapao noted was the slow pace at which Premiership clubs were embracing the basic tenets of Club Licensing.
That the league is still to have an official match-ball underscored Sapao’s concerns.
“It has been eight years since I last came to Zimbabwe, but in those eight years, football has evolved worldwide.
“But I see that administrators, especially club administrators, have not accepted that football has evolved,’’ Sapao said.
“Clubs cannot be managed the same way that they were eight or so years ago.
“For instance, in 2008 Dynamos were managed well and reached the Champions League semi-final, but instead of progressing, they seem to have regressed’’.
Sapao also expressed worry with the decline in the talent that was now being shipped directly from local teams to clubs in South Africa and Europe.
“Zimbabwe used to produce very good youngsters locally, and it is a pity now that the national team has to rely on foreign-based talent, and we need to re-look at the development strategies at play’’.
Sapao welcomed the emergence of new and ambitious clubs such as 2024 Premiership champions Simba Bhora and the top-flight’s newboys Scottland, which he says adds to the stability shown by FC Platinum and Ngezi Platinum Stars, who have also come in over the last few years. FC Platinum and Ngezi Platinum have risen to challenge the dominance of Dynamos, Highlanders, and CAPS United.
But Sapao is worried that the absence of proper structures in line with the requirements of Club Licensing could prove the biggest undoing for the audacious bids that the likes of Scottland and Simba Bhora might have to rule the roost in the Premiership.
He was, however, happy to note that Scottland have shown a willingness to emulate top clubs like Congolese giants and five-time African champions TP Mazembe.
Scottland club executives were in the Democratic Republic of Congo last week on a fact-finding mission during which they interfaced with their TP Mazembe counterparts and toured the empire that country’s mining magnate Moise Katumbi has built in Lubumbashi.
“It is good that we now have clubs like Scottland and Simba Bhora challenging the status quo, but I don’t see structures there.
“Last week we had officials from Scottland and they toured the TP Mazembe stadium and club facilities, including the academy.
“They wanted to understand how TP Mazembe is structured because TP Mazembe have gone through the processes with a good president who has been able to hand over the reins to his son Moses.
“Mamelodi Sundowns are another good example of a club that went through the processes to eventually dominate in Africa.
“When TP Mazembe played Al Hilal, Simba Bhora sent their secretary-general, Taurai Janhi, and he liked what he saw, and he also recommended to Scottland to visit; hence, they sent a seven-man delegation.
“So, if you look at the progression of Tanzanian and Angolan football, what Simba SC and Young Africans have done, it shows that football has evolved, and that is the kind of route Zimbabwean clubs need to take’’.
“Young Africans hired LaLiga Africa for their restructuring, and they compiled a book on what they needed to do to grow, the modernisation of the club, the new constitution, and the structures’’.
PSL Match balls
Sapao noted that as the local clubs go about their preparations for the 2025 Castle Lager championship marathon, there was a need for the league to have some uniformity in the official match balls for the term.
“Pre-season has started, but do teams know which balls to buy? There has to be an agreement on a FIFA-standard match ball for the season so that players familiarise with the science around the match ball and their clubs can buy it for their home games.
“It is also enshrined in the laws of the game that there has to be an official match ball, but when I went to some PSL clubs training, I saw different brands being used in training, yet it is important for players to know and understand how the match ball flies.’’
He also added his voice on the call by Legends Football Academy director Farai Dhliwayo last year on the need for top clubs to embrace the use of technology and compile statistics for their players’ performance.
“Statistics don’t lie, and they are the only way to go now with the evolution of football. If such things are addressed, Zimbabwean clubs will quickly realise their potential,’’ Sapao said.
Online Reporter