adminThe 57-year-old Zifa boss achieved a first for Zimbabwean football when he was appointed to sit on the Fifa Organising Committee for the 2013 Fifa Confederations Cup.
The appointment, delivered in a personal letter sent by Fifa secretary-general, Jerome Valcke, follows the restructuring of the standing committees of the world football governing body.
Dube will feel reinvigorated by an appointment that comes at a time when his critics have gathered to throw a lot of mud in his direction, including sensational claims that he paid his way to become Zifa president.
The Zifa boss denies the charges.
Fifa’s decision to appoint him into such an important standing committee, which organises the world football governing body’s second biggest tournament, will come as a huge vote of confidence by the Zurich-based organisation in Dube’s character.
Significantly, the appointment also demonstrates that Fifa have no issues, either current or pending, against Dube and those who had joined the bandwagon calling for him to step down, because of allegations of
improper behaviour during the Zifa elections, will have to play another card.
Yesterday, ZNSSA leader Eddie “Mboma” Nyatanga, whose organisation has been fiercely supportive of Dube’s leadership of Zifa, said the Fifa appointment was a huge boost to the leader of the country’s national sporting discipline.
“It’s a welcome development for some of us who have stood behind Cuthbert Dube as Zifa president when a lot of dirty stuff was being thrown in his direction,” said Nyatanga.
“It’s also a big boost for him because it’s something that he badly needed to make up for part of his character that was unfortunately and unnecessarily tarnished by some of those allegations.
“Obviously, for an organisation like Fifa to make such a high-level appointment, it makes a thorough assessment of the individuals concerned and where there is doubt about that individual’s character, the appointment will not be made.
“Therefore there was a thorough review of Cuthbert Dube’s character and Fifa felt that he was not only suitable for such a top-level post but he will also add value to whatever the committee will be working on.
“If, Cuthbert Dube can be suitable, in Fifa’s eyes, to be part of the committee that organises the Confederations Cup, then he surely is suitable to be Zifa president not only for one term, in our opinion, but for two terms.”
Nyatanga said Zimbabwean football had suffered from too much negative publicity, in the past year, and it was refreshing that the New Year was beginning on a positive note.
“We have had a lot of bad publicity in the game ranging from Asiagate to what is now being called Centralgate, the suspension of board members, the arrival of Fifa investigators and all this has put us in the news for all the wrong reasons,” said Nyatanga.
“When you add the fact that the Warriors also failed to qualify for the 2012 Nations Cup finals in the past year, then you can understand how depressed the whole year was for people who really love our football.
“Up to now we don’t even know who are the winners of the Central Region Division One league because there are so many bad things that have been said about what was happening in that league in the past season.
“So, out of the blue, comes this piece of good news that one of our football leaders has been appointed into a Fifa organising committee for such a prestigious tournament and it’s something that should cheer our spirits.
“Only last December, the story was that we had lost a good chance of getting onto the Cosafa executive board but now that we have got a key Fifa post we have a right to celebrate.”
Nyatanga said this year should be a season where Zimbabwe football takes a huge step forward.
“My appeal to Cuthbert Dube is that he should now use his position of influence to push the agenda of Zimbabwe football forward so that we see concrete success on the football pitches,” said Nyatanga.
“We cannot remain trapped forever in the past because time is moving and soon we will feel the pain of missing out on Afcon.
“Yes, we have had our challenges in the past but we cannot forever concentrate on that at the expense of the future and I’m certain, too, that Dube is also fed up with all the negative headlines that have been in the newspapers in the past year.
“Let’s build our football and if Fifa believe Dube can organise a Confederations Cup then he should be good enough to take our soccer forward.”
Online Reporter