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Lovemore Dube Senior Sports Editor
CUTHBERT Dube was retained as Zifa president in a peaceful election at Mount Hampden outside Harare on Saturday afternoon.
He beat three challengers Leslie Gwindi, the Harare City chairman, Aces Academy boss Nigel Munyati and construction mogul and league championship winner with Dynamos, Trevor Carelse-Juul.
Dube polled 44 votes in a run-off against Juul’s 14 after the first round of voting did not give him a two-thirds majority he needed as enshrined in the new national association’s constitution.
In the first round Dube got 34 votes, Juul 14, Gwindi 10 while no councillor saw Munyati’s worth.
Former player agent Omega Sibanda polled 38 votes against Elkanah Dube’s 20 to become the Zifa vice-president and ensure Bulawayo keeps the portfolio that it has held for almost 30 years.
Chicken Inn secretary Tavengwa Hara, former player agent Bernard Gwarada, ex-Warriors defender John Phiri and former Eastern Region boss Fungai Chihuri complete the new board which has a mammoth task to liquidate Zifa’s debts of over $5 million, ensure junior national teams are exposed as part of investment to ensure the Warriors are a permanent feature at continental competitions and fan and sponsor confidence returns to the game.
Another issue will be to end perpetual fights within the discipline where some councillors and hangers-on have assigned themselves tasks of being spies for Harare.
Several outstanding cases that have harmed the game like Asiagate, Centralgate and dismissal of employees who have gone on to sue the national association should be a thing of the past.
A united soccer family will achieve.
While the process might have gone smoothly, there was however tension at the hotel where councillors were booked overnight. Some had been there for as long as five nights. The administrators were not keen to talk to those that they are not close to for fear of being labelled.
With none of the candidates there, clandestine meetings took place well into the early hours of the following day.
Some media practitioners were also subjects of ridicule. This writer was subjected to some abuse by a member of the Friends of the Warriors who were also booked with councillors at the hotel to drum up support.
“They used to like you Lovemore, but what has since happened to you? They are angry with you,” said president of the Friends of the Warriors, Lynn Green, a friend.
“Yaa, saka nhai ndiwe Lovemore Dube wacho? Tanzwa newe. Hatikufariri neshamwari yako yekuHerald. Tichakusota (You are Lovemore Dube? We don’t like you together with your friend at The Herald. We will sort you out),” Green added.
Tension was so high that even some football personalities one is used to talk to would turn and look the other way.
If the hotel atmosphere was bad, it was even worse tensionwise at the Mount Hampden, Zifa Village. A heavy police presence and youths from the Friends of the Warriors gave a false impression that something would explode. People sat in groups, stood in the shade of big trees and spoke in hushed voices for fear of being associated with certain candidates and personalities.
Some Friends of the Warriors were openly agitating for a fight if the vote did not go their candidate’s way.
“Nhasi kuchafa munhu, mudhara (Cuthbert Dube) akasahwina or anyone achavotera vamwe tikahwina tichavasota (Cuthbert Dube must win. Anyone who votes for anyone else would be dealt with),” one said at the conference hall toilet as if to get a nod of approval from me since it was just the two of us.
Some Zifa employees’ faces told of an uncertain future after the polls understandably from the conduct of the secretariat in the run up to the elections.
The scorching heat and the long wait for the annual general meeting to end dampened the spirits of those who had come to observe the elections.
But the writing seemed to be on the wall as roars of approval at whatever Dube said in the meeting, appeared to set the tone for the outcome of the results.
While some celebrated the results, a sizeable number drew ugly faces of disappointment and openly spoke about fears for the future of the game.
“It is a sad day for football. We definitely needed a change, and our sympathies are with those 14 who voted for Trevor Carelse-Juul. They will be hunted down,” said Eddie Chivero of the Zimbabwe National Soccer Supporters Association.
Some jubilant councillors were overheard at breakfast yesterday asking who the 14 could be.
I hope councillors can take a leaf from Highlanders whose factions unite immediately after the elections and work for the common good of the institution.
The councillors were mandated by the nation to vote a Zifa board that will run football for the next four years. Tough luck and better luck next time to those who garnered fewer votes and the only thing to do now is to support Cuthbert Dube and his team in whatever way possible.
Online Reporter