Readers angry

Sports Reporter
ZIMBABWEANS reacted angrily yesterday to revelations that the Warriors will be the only team missing from the 2018 World Cup qualifiers when the draw is conducted in the Russian city of St Petersburg on Saturday.

Scores of Zimbabweans used The Herald’s website to pour out their frustrations.

The story had more than 18 000 hits on The Herald website, second only to the newspaper’s main front page article about the 700 jobs which have been lost in the last five days following a landmark court ruling.

Here are some of the views of The Herald’s readers.

Blair: I think FIFA is wrong in punishing Zimbabwe as a country while protecting the real criminals of Zimbabwean football. ZIFA knows that they will not be fired by anyone and so that is why they keep hanging on to their positions. FIFA should also listen to the people of Zimbabwe and be able to dismiss the ZIFA board and call for new elections. This has been the worst ZIFA administration EVER and they cannot be allowed to stay in the office a day longer. They have killed Zimbabwean football and my heart is bleeding. The bungling has been too much to contemplate and I think it is now up to the people who love Zimbabwean football to now take the matter into our hands and make it impossible for ZIFA to continue with their damage. Let us come together as supporters and get the necessary police clearance to go and demonstrate at the ZIFA offices or wherever they are operating from, or even their homes until they leave office! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH!!!!

4-4-1-1: Rightly or wrongly the current ZIFA leadership believe they still need to remain in place. On the other hand, most of us football supporters and other stakeholders believe our game needs a renewal at the top. Please Mr Dube and company…kindly leave. Please. Please. Your decision to leave might turn out to be the best decision you would have made during your term in office.

Luwe Ba Shana: Dark and sad hour for Zim football . . . Apo ana Cashbert Dube vachingorova bag . . . Someone needs to stand up to this Madness that is affecting our Nhabvu!!!

Chamu: At least we have been saved from the agony of failing to fulfill fixtures. Thanks Cde Dube.

Jabulani Kuveya Mudede: To hell with Dube and Mashingaidze, how can they hold the whole country at ransom because they don’t want to relinquish power? Our beloved (football) has gone to the dogs because of these people’s poor corporate governance. If leaders change, we won’t have such incidences of aborted matches like the Mighty Warriors/Cote d’Ivoire game and we won’t receive backlashes from FIFA for failing to pay coaches because the corporate world and well-wishers may come to the rescue, nobody wants to fund an association led by people with corrupt tendencies. Magaya was complaining about the money he donated which was channelled to these guys’ personal coffers instead of the intended beneficiaries, the Warriors.

Max Chiks: May Mr Cuthbert Dube and Mashingaidze please see the light and step down.

Blah Vanco: Since the ruling has been made and is now final let’s now turn the arrows at ZIFA and everyone there, including even the cleaners, must be shown the exit door for leading the national football into grave embarrassment. Cuthbert Dube you have killed us.

AD ZOO: It’s so sad that our government can fail to pay $80 000 for the coach who was contracted for national duty. One wonders what’s NEXT

Mutsigwa: Sad story! Our football is chaotic, Dube must go!

Chairman: So now (that we) have we nothing to lose, fire the whole ZIFA and let’s start afresh

Vinza: What a shame, a nation as of such stature can’t pay $80000-00, how much is Dube earning a month?

Makomborero: Not only should Dube go, let’s now get the ban by dissolving the ZIFA administration, everyone who is in that house must leave. We mean every one and we should seek audit of the money came into ZIFA and those which exited ZIFA. If need be people should get apprehended. Then we should hire the services of good Administrators to help us set up the new ZIFA Board and how it should function and redraft the new ZIFA Code of Conduct which is in harmony with Corporate governance standards. A body, which annually, is subjected to annual audits. We need a steering committee,which will help us rebuilding a completely new ZIFA Board, People like of honourable business strategists, Strive Masiyiwa ,can be consulted and other four capable members who can help us to recruit and draft the functions of the ZIFA Board. The elected members should also undergo training and mentoring. SAFA or (the English) FA can be consulted for partnership. Come 2022 we will be on track and sponsors will pour in.

Yadah Gunner: Dube, Mashingaidze must go.

Tinoda Runyararo

The unfair thing is that FIFA will not allow anyone to intervene in ZIFA affairs. If government were to fire ZIFA, then FIFA would suspend us, if ZIFA stays, then they suspend us. A lose-lose situation. Now think about this, FIFA is corrupt, and ZIFA is corrupt, if the FIFA can get away with their dirty deals, it means they (FIFA top guys) need ZIFA guys who play along…so anyone outside cannot come in and mess their corrupt ways! As much as I am against the Americans coming to arrest them, at least someone is doing something about it.