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Phillip Zulu in LEEDS, England
ZIMBABWE’S defeat at the hands of Zambia on Monday night has dampened our spirits even after sealing qualification to the AFCON finals next year.
After qualifying, with a game to spare, we were bullish and ZIFA president, Felton Kamambo, even said he was now targeting qualifying for the World Cup finals.
The big dream, as Kamambo calls it, should be a transformational process that breeds hope, and determination, for us to succeed at the highest levels of international football.
However, the poor performance against Zambia, has taken us 10 steps backwards.
That pathetic show does not justify why we should even start dreaming big, including hoping to qualify for a World Cup finals, in Qatar next year.
What we witnessed on Monday was a dreadful episode of how not to dream BIG, that was mediocre and an insult to everything that we, as Warriors, should represent.
At the next AFCON finals, we will be joined by Comoros, who will be making their debut appearance, at the showcase.
As a coach, who is involved in consultancy work in the Indian Ocean islands where Comoros are actively involved in regional tournaments, I was impressed with their grand efforts, to develop their domestic and international, football programmes.
It’s something premised on engaging their foreign-based players.
Cape Verde started it, reached number one in Africa, Madagascar followed suit and now Comoros have copy and pasted it.
What we have in abundance, as a nation, in terms of foreign-based players in Europe, is what South Africa, Botswana, Namibia, and many other countries, wish for.
When Peter Ndlovu and Benjani Mwaruwari were heading to the final stages of their careers, the former ZIFA technical director, Nelson Matongorere, engaged and encouraged us to start recruiting, and scouting for, young Zimbabweans, for the junior national teams, as part of his development programmes.
Tendai Darikwa was the first to be associated with the national teams, in 2010, and was joined by Bradley Pritchard, Munyaradzi Mbanje (Leeds United FC Academy), David Moyo (then at Northampton Town) and Macaulay Bonne (then at Colchester United).
The numbers have increased, since this programme was started in 2010.
We surely can’t fail when our football template in the diaspora includes:
More than 40 players in top European leagues (professional academy, youth and senior players.
Two grassroots clubs, in West Yorkshire, which nurture youngsters from all backgrounds, including Zimbabweans.
A Futsal club that participates in the Second Division of the English National Futsal League.
A good network of more than 30 qualified coaches with German B level, UEFA B licences, FA Level 1 & 2 and Futsal UEFA B, Level 1 & 2 qualifications.
Club owners, and other practitioners, engaged with other football formations.
The above template is, by far, a comprehensive blueprint that will be envied by most countries in Africa, and beyond.
We have established a vibrant, and robust grassroots football set-up, which can compete with any other nation, in Africa’s elite teams like Nigeria, Ghana and Egypt.
This template is what the South African Football Association’s critical planning process are missing.
Every time I hear the drivel directed at efforts from selfless individuals, who use their resources to strategically plan for such detailed professional scholarly works, it upsets me.
Our football development programmes in England are enhanced by a progressive curriculum that is producing youngsters who attract the attention of academies, something that our opponents, on the African landscape, will never dream about.
Kamambo’s dream is welcome and, indeed, he is the luckiest president in world football to get such a template designed by folks, who have never asked for a cent, from his offices.
Surely, he must smile given he has the privilege of inviting players developed from foreign leagues, which are among the best, in world football. Yet, some folks are still dreaming SMALL by continuously criticising some of the foreign-based players committing to play for their nation.
What we have, is what others don’t have and, they will so grateful to be in our shoes.
Our biggest challenge is to reduce the world-ranking negative deficit that we have and bring it down to about 40.
That is where we were in 1995.
Senegal are 20th, in the world ranking, and when they started there revolution, they turned to their Diaspora community.
It’s as simple as that and we have a chance to write our beautiful story rather than listen to those who don’t want to see progress.
They shouldn’t bully us with their lack of knowledge and fear of progress.
We need all our foreign players.
Online Reporter