malvernmugadzikwa
ZIFA has attracted negative headlines for so long that they will need a super and aggressive PR machine to burnish their image.
Any scribe having a bad day and wants to let off some steam can always conveniently use the local football mother body as a punching bag.
That ZIFA is full of blundering chaps, who have a propensity to score own goals much in the same way defender Chamu Musanhu did for Dynamos back in the day, does not help matters.
They always have the opposite of the Midas touch; everything they touch turns to dust or waste.
Ever since the reign of Nelson Chirwa (80s), Leo Mugabe (90s), Rafik Khan (2000s), Cuthbert Dube (2010-2015) and Felton Kamambo, ZIFA has had more lows than highs and more downs than ups.
But for all their bloopers, the Normalisation Committee led by Lincoln Mutasa, which recently had its term extended by FIFA after wasting time doing absolutely nothing, have begun to move.
Whether they are moving forward or backward is a debate for another day.
Last week, they finally unveiled the man who will be in charge of Zimbabwe’s sports flagship team the Warriors — German national Michael Nees.
He has extraordinary odds staked against him.
Ironically, the good thing about Nees, who was outwitted by Sunday Chidzambwa when he was coaching Seychelles in 2003, is that many people, who hold him in low regard, expect him to fail.
Perhaps this is the reason he was so relaxed at last week’s presser, which is a good thing — at least for him.
And last week, we also saw Mutasa and Sports and Recreation Commission chairperson Gerald Mlotshwa sign what Bra Shakes would call a peace pact, which outlines rules of engagement, ensuring they do not step on each other’s toes.
Recent acrimony between the two sides got Zimbabwe football condemned by FIFA to the naughty corner.
A working ZIFA, which is now determined to fulfil its mandate, means we are well on our way to elections for the new boss of the association.
But jostling for the job has already begun.
United States-based businessman Richard Wangu Mazodze, who owns a team that is in Division One, and the United Kingdom-based duo of Marshall Gore and FIFA agent Ellen Chiwenga have already thrown their names in the hat.
But, truth be told, it would be considerably easy to drain the sea than for one of these candidates to become the eighth chairperson of ZIFA since independence, as powerful cash-flush suitors are making headway in the background and underground.
A lot of horse trading and scheming, together with its fair share of skulduggery, is reportedly underway.
While some are scheming of landing the coveted top job, others are actively plotting to block the path for those they dislike.
It is scary.
All this will be revealed in good time.
We pray that it does not get messy. Our only hope is that our football does not become like a sewer, where filthy scum rises to the top.
Our past experiences should inform our decisions.
The councillors that will have the privilege to cast that vote, ultimately shaping the face of local football, should vote with their conscience, and not their stomachs.
Elect people who serve; not those who want to be served.
Football is now a multibillion-dollar business and must be treated as such.
Our football will rise or fall on the decisions that we will make.
Until next time.
Peace!
Yours Sincerely,
Bra Shakes.
Online Reporter