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Ngqwele Dube Sports Correspondent
THE Zimbabwe Football Association is set to appoint a Club Licensing committee that will ensure the clubs implement minimum professional standards set by world football governing body, Fifa.Zifa chief executive officer Jonathan Mashingaidze said they would put in place a three member committee before the end of this month to oversee the implementation of the regulations that will bring professionalism to the way football clubs run their affairs.
Mashingaidze said the committee would work closely with the Premier Soccer League and will comprise individuals independent from the PSL but who had a hawk’s eye and were conversant with requisite benchmarks.
“Club licensing is a professional template that has been developed by Fifa and Caf and is aimed at ensuring that football clubs are run properly and have facilities of their own. Clubs should have a proper executive, proof of sponsorship, lucid accounts, a technical committee comprised of qualified personnel and there should also be vibrant youth development structures,’’ said Mashingaidze.
“We actually need a paradigm shift in the way clubs are run because most teams have been run on an ad-hoc basis without clear, permanent structures.”
Club licensing, to the CEO, has been included in the draft football statutes that were expected to come into effect in three months time after being ratified by the Zifa Assembly. Also accommodated would be an appeals body through which clubs can seek recourse if they were not happy with the rulings of the committee.
Mashingaidze said while there would be penalties imposed on clubs that failed to meet the requirements, there would be incentives offered to football teams that attain the set standards.
“When I was in Cairo (Egypt), I was informed that clubs that have embraced the regulations will be offered incentives (by Caf) but those who lag behind will be penalised through being barred from taking part in Caf interclub competitions,’’ he said.
“This is a success model that was implemented way back in Europe and has seen clubs like Chelsea, Manchester United and Barcelona phenomenal success and it is hoped emulating it will bring about a positive for African football.’’
Mashingaidze said they were looking at engaging clubs so they become fully compliant this year although he added Caf and Fifa were aware of the peculiar challenges that faced football in Africa and would not come down with a heavy hand on clubs.
He said there was a vast divide between football in the first world and third world with African football dominated by people pouring in funds to sustain clubs.
“There will be a lot of engagement as we encourage our clubs to be compliant with the Club Licensing regulations. We will not close the door on clubs that do not meet the standards but we hope penalties and incentives will do the job for us.
“Caf officials will be coming to Zimbabwe during the 2015 Africa Cup of Nations scheduled for Equatorial Guinea and will hold seminars with PSL clubs and possibly teams from the regional leagues to ensure there is no culture shock when they are promoted to the topflight league,” he said.
PSL chief executive officer Kennedy Ndebele has in the past emphasized the importance of teams embracing club licensing as a ladder to success and it (club licensing) was pivotal in ensuring clubs had qualified personnel running their organisations leading to the improvement in the level of professionalism.
Online Reporter