Vusumuzi Dube
Lovemore Dube
ZIFA Central and Southern Region councillors who met Prophet Walter Magaya in Bulawayo on Friday evening are convinced that the man of the cloth is the right candidate for the Zifa presidency. Magaya is among several Zimbabweans interested in taking over at Zifa.
Zimbabwe is set to hold elections for all structures at the beginning of 2025 following the expiry of terms of office for those elected in 2018.
A Normalisation Committee headed by former footballer, Lincoln Mutasa has been running the sport’s national affairs and was assigned by Fifa to ensure that elections are held at the beginning of next year.
“The man is convincing. He has football at heart and wants progress. He speaks football and he has the vision to take us places as a nation,” said a councillor who requested anonymity fearing a backlash from his constituency.
Another councillor said they were happy with Magaya’s candidature. He said the Yadah Football Club owner had committed the last 17 years to improving the game of football and giving it a better image.
His achievements with Yadah, he said, were testimony to his vision for a better game and future of football. In the meeting also attended by delegates from women’s soccer who already enjoy a US$300 000 sponsorship, most in the house resolved that Magaya was the man to take football forward.
“You can judge by what the man has done for himself. He loves football and he is so articulate about what has to be done and how it’s got to be done. For the first time, I think our provinces and regions will go for elections as a united front,” said the councillor who added that they want Gift Banda as vice- president.
In Bulawayo, Prophet Magaya met councillors from the three Matabeleland provinces and members of both the Central and Southern regions some of whom travelled from as far as Hwange, Victoria Falls, Beitbridge and Gwanda.
It is unclear who funded the accommodation, food and transport costs of the meeting that was held at a plush hotel in Suburbs.
When asked about funding for the campaign meeting, Clevious Ncube who is based in Victoria Falls and is in the Zifa Matabeleland North executive said: “I paid for my transport as I always do.”
Ndodana Masuku who is from the Area Zones League and is running the fledging Rhino Cup Champions League in Dete, chaired the meeting and when sought for comment, he declined to just like the Zifa Bulawayo Province boss, Francis Ntutha.
Online Reporter