adminSports Correspondent
FOOTBALL is a mass sport.
It is driven by the masses and human resources that are emotionally attached to it. The Zimbabwe Football Association is powered by a combination of fulltime and volunteer staff. A brief look at the Zifa organogram depicts the board, assembly, secretariat and standing committees. The association statutes clearly define the roles and functions of the human resources.
Since Cuthbert Dube rose to the pinnacle of the country’s beautiful game in March 2010, his board has made a record breaking seven appointments of national team coaches. This turnover of coaches will be looked at in more detail later in this presentation.But firstly, let us embark on a holistic analysis of the entire Zifa Human Resources Strategy or rather the lack of it.
Conflicts between fulltime and volunteer staff have rocked football for long periods, more pronounced during Dube’s tenure. Lack of requisite skills, knowledge and education on football management within the board has contributed to this. This has been worsened by the fact that for one to get elected to the board, the popular vote is used. The association’s constitution places no emphasis on the need for high professional qualifications.
Football has been likened to a dead cow which is producing a lot of milk. The emergence and recurrence of challenges highlighted above have impacted negatively on football and the result has been stunted growth.
Lately, Zifa has lost valuable time and resources in litigation and labour disputes further complicated by factional wars.
This analysis seeks to highlight Zifa’s human resources dilemma, challenges and suggest possible solutions. The problems bedeviling the Zimbabwe Football Association’ Human Resources Management emanate from the lack of a proper human resources plan. Ad hoc appointments within the secretariat and coaching departments have characterised Cuthbert Dube’s presidency. This has been caused by lack of respect for the office handbook. Other problems have manifested themselves in role conflict between the board and the secretariat and within the board itself.
The abuse of office by officers running football has added no value to the beautiful game. This has shown a clear lack of respect for terms of reference and professional ethics. The absence of a clear human resources plan has led to this. Remember the confusion between chief executive Jonathan Mashingaidze, technical director, Nelson Matongorere and the national team coach. Up to this day, no one knows who voted for the candidates to the World Player of the Year nominations. There were embarrassing accusations and counter-accusations.
The Zimbabwe Football Association has faced great challenges in recruiting and motivating its human resources. Recruitment has been dogged by nepotism. During Dube’s tenure, he has presided over the controversial appointments of seven national team coaches in three years. Notably, Norman Mapeza twice, Tom Saintfiet, Madinda Ndlovu, Rahman Gumbo, Dieter Klaus Pagels, and lately Ian Gorowa, not to mention the assistant coaches.
We all know the messy and clumsy nature that rocked the appointment of Norman Mapeza, the controversy linked to Tom Saintfiet, Madinda Ndlovu and Rahman Gumbo. The appointments were centred on nasty regional, factional and regrettably tribal interests. The appointment of seven coaches in three years is in itself a world record in football and should be a cause for concern for any serious organisation.
Predictably, the results have been awful. In fact, we have witnessed the worst World Cup campaign by the Warriors in modern history. Related to this, the beautiful game has had challenges in the retention and recruitment of key, qualified and skilled staff because of ill-treatment of staff and prevalence of pathetic working conditions.
In recent years, football has seen the emergence of bitter factional wars and conflicts. These have manifested at national level, and within the board. Failure to manage human resources has seen football matters and the ensuing conflicts taken to court in violation of football statutes. Sunday Chidzambwa has a pending labour case at the High Court. Former national coaches Georgio Valinhos and Tom Saintfiet have taken their cases with Zifa to Fifa.
Mapeza and Ndlovu also have issues to grind with Zifa. There is also a host of other former employees from the secretariat who have cases with Zifa. Clearly, there is something wrong somewhere with Zifa’s human resources management style.
The cause for this has been the incidence of a weak and clueless board and its directors. The politics of patronage has taken centre stage in football with office bearers placing their loyalty where their bread is buttered at the expense of the beautiful game. There is a group of Zifa councillors who can hear no evil, speak no evil or see no evil in the current board. The result has been an outcry from the fans, media and sponsors.
Clearly, the lack of a sound human resources strategy has resulted in poor conflict management in football resulting in endless feuds. Zifa needs to urgently formulate a sound human resources plan that ensures adequate training for all its employees and volunteers. This engenders human capital development, breeds organisational stability and good corporate governance. The association needs to be wary of resistance from those who have benefited from the management crisis.
The incidence of patronage will likely delay progress.
The never ending Asiagate drama should provide important lessons for the board and the need to strengthen their dispute resolution machinery.
This will foster order and respect for the institution and attract sponsorship. It helps to rid the game of undesirable elements if they are found on the wrong side of the law.
It also safeguards good governance. However, Zifa’s dispute resolution machinery has been abused by some strategically positioned and powerful administrators to silence critics and settle old scores with their perceived enemies. This has also created apprehension, mistrust and suspicions. It has been abused by selfish individuals and has engendered recriminations and reprisals which will always hound the local game.
When Cuthbert Dube won the Zifa elections most neutrals gave him the benefit of doubt. His praise singers touted him as a champion of good corporate governance. With a fat wallet, Dube rode on this wave of popularity. He went to preside over Zifa and even though he has made grave and fundamental governance errors, they have sadly been ignored.
The current board has failed to formulate a new strategic plan and document for Zifa, let alone a human resources plan. The last Zifa Strategic Plan expired in 2010. Having a strategic plan in place is the hallmark of good corporate governance. It gives direction, outlines goals and organisational objectives set to be achieved. It enunciates an organisation’s vision.
Mr President, we are eight months from the conclusion of your term and you are running this organisation like a tuckshop. Is this what you promised in your famous election manifesto in 2010?
Clearly, Zifa’s bungling emanate from the lack of a clear strategy for the association. It would have addressed the following football issues: junior football development, women’s football development, financial turn around(especially the crippling debt), qualification for the 2014 Brazil World Cup and 2013 Afcon finals among others. Sadly, Zifa has been in a state of intellectual, technical and strategic bankruptcy.
Bluntly put, visionless.
Sound corporate governance is only attainable when there is a vibrant strategic plan and specifically human resources plan in this context. This will ensure that all key stakeholders play a complementary role and not the cat and mouse game that has bedevilled the beautiful game lately. There is need for Zifa to make a robust audit of its human resources plan, review its recruitment procedure and selection criteria. This has to be married to the main strategic plan. Unfortunately, the current Zifa board has none. The board through council, has to initiate the process. Regrettably, the current crop of Zifa councillors is clueless and does not have the stamina and spine to make meaningful decisions. Prominent radio and football commentator Lovemore Banda once said “You may change the actors many times but if you don’t change the script, you will always have the same results.’’
Time will tell whether the new Warriors coach Ian Gorowa succeeds or not. Goodluck “Dibango’’ and congratulations are in order for the victory in your first game in charge in Mauritius
Online Reporter
derick.khumalo