Zifa calls for action

Lovemore Dube

“LEGACY in Motion: Driving Excellence Forward”

That is the driving theme by the newly elected Zifa executive led by Nqobile Magwizi.

Magwizi has challenged the football family to engage in action and put to an end rhetoric and toxicity in the local game.

This was in his speech read on his behalf by executive member Thomas Marambanyika at the Zifa Southern Region Awards held in the city on Saturday.

Marambanyika represented the Zifa president. Like Magwizi, Marambanyika a former Midlands and Central Region councillor was also voted into office on January 25.

Magwizi said; “Today, we assemble not merely to celebrate individual brilliance but to ignite a collective resolve. As we honour excellence from the 2024 season, let this ceremony mark the end of rhetoric and the beginning of action. The elections are over. The politicking is done. It is time — high time — we focus solely on one thing: WORK. Let me be unequivocal: we are not politicians; we are custodians of football. Politicians campaign perpetually — we deliver perpetually.”

Magwizi challenged selflessness among football stakeholders, urging them to shun -isms a cancer in sporting circles that has derailed some organisations. He spoke of his executive’s commitment to restoring pride in the Zimbabwean game after years of self-battering.

“To those who seek to divide us with regionalism, personal agendas, or old grievances, hear this: the New Executive Committee (Exco) will go to the moon and back, dive to the deepest depths of the ocean, and break every barrier to restore the pride of Zimbabwean football,” read the speech.

Unity he said is key to operations.

“But we cannot do this alone. Unity of purpose — oneness, teamwork, collaboration — is not a suggestion. It is non-negotiable. Look around this room. Administrators, legends, referees, players — we are threads in the same tapestry. If one thread frays, the fabric weakens. But together, we are unbreakable.”

He said Zifa was committed to equity hence they had come up with sub-committees that had taken into consideration the game’s ecosystem and geography and competency.

“The committees we have appointed reflect every region of this nation. No voice will be silenced; no talent will be sidelined. But inclusion is meaningless without integrity. That is why, for the first time in our history, a female referee chairs the Referees’ Committee.”

He said female referees had been exploited in the game to the extent of some asking for sexual favours from them.

The speech also touched on manipulation.

Zimbabwe has had the Asiagate and Centralgate scandals where results were manipulated with teams and officials getting paid for a desired result.

“Under the new committee, backed by monitoring and evaluation teams, there will be zero tolerance for manipulation. Every decision will be transparent. Every appointment will be merit-based. 

“We will restore professionalism, accountability, and above all, dignity to this sacred role. To those who fear this change: adapt or exit. Football has no room for predators.”

He described committee members as engines of a transformation process.

In his speech he said meetings will not be tea-drinking ceremonies but battle rooms for strategising and execution.

He emphasised that programmes will be tracked and results will be demanded.

“Feedback will be relentless. We are in transformative mode — a revolution that demands your sweat, your creativity, and your unwavering commitment.”

A Fifa delegation arrives this week to induct the new executive. What they will learn as the executive committee he promised that it would cascade down the game’s leadership ladder.

Councillors should brace for a tough meeting on March 28 at the organisation’s annual general meeting where hard truths will be confronted and resolutions to shape the future be made.

Harmony Nare who was the ZPC Hwange shot-stopper last season before joining Caps United at the beginning of this year, was crowned Soccer Star of the Year.

He was voted alongside Mbongeni Minezhi (Bulawayo City (1st runner-up), Wilfred Nzondo from Casmyn (Second runner-up), Nhlanhla Fumpano (Nkayi Utd), Hopewell Moyo (Zimbabwe Saints), Thabo Sibanda (Mainline FC), Tatenda Ushe from Casmyn, Tinotenda Chitete from Nkayi Utd, Justin Kaunda from ZPC Hwange, Trevor Mugwagwa from Zebra Revolution and Israel Mkahanana (ZPC Hwange).