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Phillip Mbofana Special Correspondent
WELL, the dreaded result that we least expected and also feared against the Flames of Malawi is now a reality. This makes it sad even to write this analysis as we all seek for answers for what went wrong for our Warriors at the African Cup of Nations tournament in Cameroon on Friday.
Whenever a mobile phone memory is full, one needs to delete unwanted and obsolete files or simply press factory settings to clear and empty the phone. This is exactly what we need now in our football. We have tried piece-meal changes like changing coaches and even last-minute funding for the Warriors but all this has come to naught as we continue with our losing streak.
In this report I shall not go into tactical analysis of the match but I will touch on important issues which are fundamental to a team for sustained success. It is very important that the team has clear short, medium and long-term objectives just like any organisation.
Unfortunately, it appears that only the short-term objective of qualifying for AFCON is being achieved without any supporting base or structures to ensure success at this prestigious tournament. We have a situation where people are now happy by mere qualification that guarantees them some dollars in their pockets irrespective of how the team performs.
The football set up in Zimbabwe should resemble all other top football-playing nations in Africa and the world because if we are to be competitive we cannot run away from professional set-ups or resembling them to say the least.
The big question now is if we are to go back to factory settings do we have a continuity plan for our football?
There is no football development to talk about in Zimbabwe. The football developmental structures like youth football, continuous coaches training, referees’ development, and even qualified administrators training are all non-existent.
When was the last top coaching course held in Zimbabwe and how do we unearth other future top coaches if there are no developmental programmes.
The Warriors qualified for AFCON 2021 ages ago but there were no proper plans for serious preparations except playing Sudan who are nowhere near competitive sides on the continent. We now have so many good Zimbabwean players dotted around the globe but there is no coordinated plan to take advantage of these players who are already exposed to international football.
All we have is subjective call-ups to the national team. Why not have a pool of foreign-based players and also a pool of those based locally and other regional leagues. We need to bring this indirect competitiveness among the foreign and local based players so that by the time we come up with the final squad we will have the cream of Zimbabwean players and not this current set-up where most fans do not even know some of the national team players and worse, which clubs they ply their trade.
The administrators quickly point fingers at coaches but have they ever looked at themselves if they have put up proper structures for the national coach to choose players from.
There is a need for a scientific approach to football performance and right now are we going to have a scientific analysis of the AFCON performance so that the technical pitfalls exhibited in Cameroon are not repeated.
If a new coach is appointed what reports or stats are in place for one to use for planning purposes? I am using all these colloquial questions so that we may see how huge a task we have on our hands.
No matter how it may be justified, the national team job is supposed to be full-time where the coach has enough time to track players both locally and abroad. The national team coach should work closely with trusted and knowledgeable people in various centres around the country and across the world who will make recommendations to the national coach.
The national team is the pride of the nation and only the best should represent the country.
Malawi showed us exactly where we are as a football nation and their hunger for a win was far much better than our Warriors who unfortunately seemed not to have a Plan B. I had anticipated for someone to claim leadership of the team on the pitch when the chips were against us but, unfortunately, no hero could emerge. Instead, it was Gabadino Mhango who emerged for the Flames.
Let’s avoid the usual mantra of comforting ourselves by saying tough luck and let’s dust ourselves up and move on yet some other lightweight teams like Equatorial Guinea are embarrassing the defending champions Algeria by winning 1-0.
When we are in authority, and I mean at ZIFA, let’s not claim exclusive knowledge of the game but should use those positions to consult widely as the art of management is the ability to achieve results using other people’s input and ability.
We have a great opportunity now to relaunch Zimbabwean football with all structures put in place starting with the current restructuring by the Sports Commission hoping that they will leave the game on a good footing.
Let engineers concentrate on what they know best and conversely let those with the love, technical know-how and passion for football lead the game.
Zimbabwe has very good talent which is hugely untapped now because if you look back at the names of the previous generations then you wonder why our quality has so drastically gone down as if we are now a different nation.
We can still recover from this low point and with proper planning we can challenge for continental honours in the future.
l Phillip Mbofana is a former Zimbabwe national Under-23 football team coach who is now coaching in Poland.
Online Reporter