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Sharuko on Saturday
FOURTEEN years ago, Reinhard Fabisch died.
On that July day, in 2008, the fiery German coach finally lost the biggest battle of his life.
And, from Kenya to Zimbabwe, Benin to South Africa, where he had a stint with Mamelodi Sundowns, we all mourned his loss.
His death probably didn’t touch his people, as much as it was felt, across large parts of Africa.
Because, it was here, deep in the football jungles of the Mother Continent, where Fabisch created his legacy and left an impact, which will last a lifetime.
This year marks exactly 35 years, after he first arrived in Kenya, the first port of call on his African mission.
In his first year, in charge of the Harambee Stars, he guided them to a silver medal, at the 1987 All-Africa Games.
Today, he is still celebrated, as one of Germany’s finest coaching exports to Africa, and the best foreign coach, to take charge of the Warriors.
With us, he built something special, which can never be measured in statistics, like qualifying for the Nations Cup finals.
It was a beautiful romance, uniting a nation into one of believers, and transforming our team into one which even appealed to our white community.
Today’s critics will tell you he failed.
Why?
Because, in their flawed argument and their poor judgment, success means qualifying for the AFCON finals.
But, this isn’t another Fabisch debate.
This is about him, and his legacy, in Zimbabwe and Kenya.
And, the irony is that the two countries where he made his greatest impact, as a coach, find themselves in international football’s wilderness.
On Thursday, FIFA finally wielded the axe, after months of warnings, when they suspended the two countries’ membership of the international football family.
Both nations committed the cardinal sin, in the eyes of the FIFA Mob, by suspending the football leadership in the two countries.
In the world of the FIFA Mafia, the law starts and ends with those who call the shorts in Zurich and, over the years, they have ring fenced their kingdom.
The intention is to keep it away from the prying eyes of those who seek scrutiny and transparency.
Once you join the Mob, you become part of the Family.
You become immune to any scrutiny from outsiders, shielded from any probe from those who are not part of this Family and only answerable to those who head this Family.
It’s something Bulgarian legend, Hristo Stoichkov who, like Fabisch, also had a stint as coach of Mamelodi Sundowns, had already observed, seven years ago.
“I said it back in 1994, it’s the biggest Mafia out there in the world of sport,” the Ballon d’Or winner said.
“I refuse to accept the fact that some people can be at FIFA and UEFA for 20-30 years, without being replaced.
“We change players, we change coaches and yet those people are wearing the same suits at those organisations for over 20 years.
“I don’t see a way of dismantling this Mafia. They’ve arrested seven people, but the other 137 are still there.
“They won’t allow an outsider to become the FIFA president, Figo for example, because (Sepp) Blatter has 130 votes in his pocket.
Back then, the UEFA boss was Michel Platini, who appeared as if he was being groomed, to become the FIFA boss.
But, Stoichkov, one of the stars of the ’94 World Cup, where his six goals powered Bulgaria into fourth place, and won him the Golden Boot award, also didn’t trust Platini.
“He’s only interested in staging as many Champions League and Europa League matches as possible,” said the Bulgarian legend.
“He wants more clubs in the competitions so more money is made from broadcasting rights.
“I saw a photo of him recently. I see he’s got pretty fat and that’s not from hard work.”
NO ONE IS INDISPENSABLE IN FOOTBALL, ASK PLATINI
Platini’s right hand man, the secretary-general at UEFA then, was Gianni Infantino who, a few months later, would become FIFA president, after corruption scandals, toppled Blatter.
The same corruption scandals would also topple Platini.
The Frenchman’s world collapsed in October 2015, after Swiss prosecutors found out he had received a controversial US$2m payment from Blatter.
Both Blatter and Platini continue to be stalked by the corruption, which became the password, to enter into Zoom meetings, which were being held at FIFA.
Although there was excitement, around the world, that Infantino’s arrival as the new FIFA boss would open a new chapter for the organisation and the game, other seasoned observers remained cautious.
One of them was Frank Vogl, the co-founder of Transparency International, who wrote a great piece, in the Globalist, in February 2016, soon after Infantino’s rise to the top.
“World soccer may have a new boss, but it will take long-term sustained efforts by FIFA to convince fans across the globe that the organisation has really changed and is serving their interests, rather than its own,” wrote Vogl.
“Just consider the number of arrest warrants, investigations and criminal allegations that are issued against the men (almost exclusively) who are running so many of the international sporting associations.
“FIFA has at times been compared to the Cosa Nostra, while the image it seeks to project of itself is that of the Red Cross.
“Leaders of global sports associations across the world have an arrogance that suggests they believe they are both untouchable — and that cash is always king.
“Take the example of Sepp Blatter, who blames politics for all his troubles. He is in complete denial about the corruption in his domain.”
You know you are dealing with the Mafia when you are told, point blank, that you can only do as we say and not as we do.
For them, it’s their fantasy gospel, deceiving the world that they have zero-tolerance on corruption, which we must listen to, and ignore the reality that they are the shameless merchants of such vice.
They want us to pretend that the majority of those who were leading FIFA, including the president, vice presidents and secretary-general, were not swept away by the corruption scandals of 2015.
They want us to believe that virtually the entire FIFA leadership didn’t crumble, under the punishing weight of bribery, wire fraud, racketeering and money laundering charges.
They want us to forget that seven FIFA officials were arrested at the exclusive Hotel Baur au Lac, in Zurich, on May 27, 2015, ahead of the polls for the FIFA presidency, and were eventually extradited to the United States.
To forget that these were the same powerful men who, for years, had protected a number of leaders of national football associations, accused of corrupt activities, from being kicked out of office, by their governments.
To forget that these were the same powerful men who, for years, had voted to suspend countries from the FIFA family, which had dared to try and confront those who were dragging their national associations into the grave.
To pretend that these were not the same powerful men who, for years, had told us, just like those in office at FIFA are telling us today, that they had zero-tolerance for corruption yet they were the real masters, when it came to bribery, wide fraud and money laundering.
They suspended Nigeria in October 2010, because of what they claimed was government interference yet, in the background, they were busy feasting on the game, as if it was some turkey for Christmas, as if it was their personal tuckshop.
What they didn’t want us to know was that this was just their template, to inject fear into all governments, so that no other authorities would come into the game, to cast their eyes on the shady activities, which were happening behind closed doors.
What they forgot is that they didn’t own the telephone networks, and didn’t have the power to stop the same authorities from recording their conversations, which then blew the cover on their corrupt activities.
What they forgot is that they didn’t own a baking system, and didn’t have the power to stop the same authorities from tracing their transactions, which then blew the cover on their shady activities, meant to enrich themselves.
Today, where the Nigerians stood, in October 2010, after their suspension from FIFA, is where we stand, together with our allies in Kenya, cast into the wilderness, by the Zurich Mob, for daring to take control of our football.
To the Boys in Zurich, the interests of three people, the defiant members of the elected ZIFA board, were more important than the interests of 16 million Zimbabweans.
· We don’t care about whatever they could have done wrong, the Boys from Zurich barked on Thursday, because it doesn’t matter to us, since those allegations, or whatever, don’t vote for our projects, like organising a World Cup, every two years.
· We don’t care about anything you are throwing at them, the Boys from Zurich barked on Thursday, because it doesn’t mean a thing to us, it’s irrelevant to our projects because, what only matters to us, is having these loyalists by our side.
· You want us to waste time talking about accounting for small amounts like US$3 million, the Boys from Zurich barked on Thursday, when we are a multi-billion dollar organisation who generate more than those peanuts every second that passes.
· You want us to really spent time asking what is the official rate of the United States dollar, to every Zimbabwean dollar, the Boys of Brazil barked on Thursday, when we are an organisation that deals with the likes of Bancode Credito Centroamerica (Nicaragua), Banco do Brasil (New York), Banco Itau (New York), Banco Lafise (Costa Rica), Bank of America (New York), Capital Bank (Panama), Citi Private Bank (New York).
EVEN BLATTER FELL AT THE END
So, what’s next for us?
It’s a tough question because one finds himself caught in between a rock and a hard place – the sympathy for those young players, who have no say whatsoever in this crisis, who could suffer from having their transfers to foreign countries blocked.
But, one also has to ask this uncomfortable question – when was the last time we really exported a fine talent, even to a league like South Africa?
Why is it that all the emerging talent, good enough to play for the Warriors, the likes of Jordan Zemura and Kundai Benyu, had to be developed elsewhere, in a foreign country?
What happened to that production hub, which used to give us the likes of Knowledge Musona and Khama Billiat, who went to South Africa, and made big names for themselves?
Why should we worry about the careers of our next generation of players, who want to pursue their talents in foreign countries, being affected by this suspension, when we haven ‘t been producing those players, in the first place?
Shouldn’t we embrace this suspension as a possible opportunity, to really start from afresh, like reviving the junior leagues which we had abandoned, and come up with a vibrant structure, which can then help identify, nurture and shape the next Musona?
Shouldn’t we be ashamed that, more than 12 years since Musona burst onto the scene, as a young player developed by the Aces Youth Soccer Academy, we haven’t produced another player, as a football community, to match his class?
Isn’t it an indictment on our football that all the players, who were in the Bafana Bafana squad which Musona first faced, have since left the South African national squad yet we can’t afford to lose the Smiling Assassin because no one else, right now, is better than him?
How can we start pretending that we care for our teenage footballers, and their future, when we are the same people who have been keeping them away from the junior tournaments like the COSAFA Under-17 and Under-20 tourneys?
Why should we suddenly start pretending that our referees will be affected, that they will not handle any international matches, when the same match officials, because of lack of financial injection into their coffers, have largely become stagnant?
That, for the last EIGHT AFCON finals, spread over 14 years, we have not heard a Zimbabwean referee officiating at Africa’s biggest football festival in what is a graphic reminder of the reality that our game has been dragged into the grave.
Why should we worry that FIFA will not be sending their development grants anymore when, even on the occasions that they have been sending, we haven’t seen the funds being used, by those in charge of our football, for their intended use?
How can we convince the Mighty Warriors that FIFA funds are meant for them when, the last time the Boys from Zurich gave them US$500 000, as a Covid-19 relief package, the stories that started coming out of women’s football camp were that the constituency didn’t benefit from the injection?
Seven years ago, Felton Kamambo was a leading member of the ZIFA Congress, who masterminded the revocation of the mandate of Cuthbert Dube, as their leader.
Around the same time, a bigger announcement came from FIFA boss, Sepp Blatter, on June 2, 2015.
“I have been reflecting deeply about my presidency and about the 40 years in which my life has been inextricably bound to FIFA and the great sport of football,” Blatter announced.
“I cherish FIFA more than anything and I want to do only what is best for FIFA and for football.
“I felt compelled to stand for re-election, as I believed that this was the best thing for the organisation. That election is over but FIFA’s challenges are not.
“FIFA needs a profound overhaul.
“WHILE I HAVE A MANDATE FROM THE MEMBERSHIP OF FIFA, I DO NOT FEEL THAT I HAVE A MANDATE FROM THE ENTIRE WORLD OF FOOTBALL – THE FANS, THE PLAYERS, THE CLUBS, THE PEOPLE WHO LIVE, BREATHE AND LOVE FOOTBALL AS MUCH AS WE DO AT FIFA.
“Therefore, I have decided to lay down my mandate at an extraordinary elective congress. I will continue to exercise my functions as FIFA president until that election.
“The next ordinary FIFA Congress will take place on 13 May 2016 in Mexico City.
“This would create unnecessary delay and I will urge the executive committee to organise an extraordinary congress for the election of my successor at the earliest opportunity.
“This will need to be done in line with FIFA’S Statutes and we must allow enough time for the best candidates to present themselves and to campaign.
“We need term limits not only for the president but for all members of the executive committee.
“It is my deep care for FIFA and its interests, which I hold very dear, that has led me to take this decision.
“I would like to thank those who have always supported me in a constructive and loyal manner as president of FIFA and who have done so much for the game that we all love.
“What matters to me more than anything is that when all of this is over, football is the winner.”
If, at the very top of the FIFA tree, the leader can see that he has lost the support of the structures, and everyone else, why can’t it happen at ZIFA level?
At least, for the sake of the country’s national game.
To God Be The Glory!
Peace to the GEPA Chief, the Big Fish, George Norton, Daily Service, Sitting Bull, Crazy Horse and all the Chakariboys still in the struggle.
Come on United!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Ronaldoooooooooooooooooooooo!
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