By Blessing Vava
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| Disgrace-ZIFA President Cuthbert Dube running ZIFA like a grinding mill |
The dismal performance by the
senior national soccer team, the warriors can only be described as a national
disaster. Without doubt football is the most popular sport in this country and
many Zimbabweans love the sport to unimaginable proportions but it is sad how
their national soccer team always break their hearts. Years ago former coach Ghanaian national Ben Koufie
declared that Zimbabwe’s soccer team will never qualify for any prestigious
tournament even if they get a coach from the moon, and according to him it was purely on the basis of maladministration
by those running the affairs of soccer in the country. And now with a new
president Cuthbert Dube, who bought himself to be at the helm, our standards of soccer continue
deteriorating reducing the senior men’s team into a laughing stock. The man is
running an important national football
association as if he is running his rural tuck-shop or a village grinding mill.
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| Lies to the marrow-ZIFA CEO Jonathan Mashingaidze |
After failing to grab a
victory in three consecutive serious games.
After the poor showing in Burundi, we even suffered in our own backyard playing
against Guinea and the latest being the draw away to Mozambique, ZIFA is now
unashamedly shifting the blame to the players making flimsy, unfounded and stupid
allegations that matches were being
fixed. Those peddling such allegations can only qualify to be best candidates
to a psychiatric clinic for a brain assessment. It is insanity of the highest
magnitude to believe such a lie.
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| At the centre of controversy-suspended former ZIFA CEO Henrietta Rushwaya |
The point here is that Mr Cuthbert Dube and
his team have failed the nation they should admit and stop this blame game to
Karuru and Musona. Surely how possible
for a player like Musona with a lucrative offer in Germany would accept
the little bribes ZIFA is alleging? With Asiagate scandal hard on our heels I don’t
think there is any right-minded player, more importantly Musona and Karuru who are
plying their trades in lucrative European leagues would want to risk their
careers for such expediency as alleged by Mashingaidze and crew. I laughed off
seeing ZIFA CEO Jonathan Mashingaidze trying to convince Zimbabweans on ZTV
news that they have approached FIFA because
they suspect that the matches were fixed. Utter hogwash! From his body movements and lips Mashingaidze was not convincing even to
himself, he appeared like a man caught having sex with someone’s wife and yet
trying to deny that he doesn’t know the woman. Either the guy is lying to the
marrow, or every other Zimbabwean expect himself knows why the team that is so
rich in talent is failing even against lowly rated teams such as Mozambique.
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| Promising career under the wire-Ovidy Karuru |
What Mashingaidze is saying is utter rubbish
and nonsense and should be dismissed with contempt. I wonder why such people
are put at the helm of such important offices.
From the look of things one can easily deduce that ZIFA is out to settle
personal scores rather than the development of our football. The match fixing
allegations are a mere smokescreen to cover their failures as an association.
They are failing to attract a meaningful sponsor for the national team. They
have failed even to get an official sponsor for the kit of the national team.
They are even failing to organise friendly matches with stronger opponents
opting to pair the national team with a club like Caps United and boozers
(Friends of Benjani) as a preparatory
match ahead of crucial ties. How they keep recycling failed coaches to continue
leading our national team. Surely how do we expect our football to grow when
ZIFA is failing to do the basics that will make our team more dignified,
stronger and mould them into a serious competitive team in the continent and
the world at large.
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| Taking leadership-Alois Bunjira with his juniors ALBUN |
The time is now for former football players to
get organised lead such bodies like ZIFA and the PSL, because they know what is
required in football. Zambia have soccer legend Kalusha Bwalya at the helm and they have already reaped the
results. I believe people like former Caps United ace Alois Bunjira, Ian
Gorowa, Edzai Kasinauyo, Bruce Grobeler, Tauya Murehwa, Paul Gundani, Peter
Ndlovu, Benjani Mwaruwari can manage that association better because they have
played the game before. We have tried these professionals and the results are
proving beyond doubt to be disastrous. For now we should try former footballers and
see how it goes. The people who are running ZIFA are opportunists who don’t
have a passion for the game but the pocket and the sooner that they are shown
the door the better. Otherwise we will continue weeping and our hearts bleeding
spending another decade without qualifying for any major tournament with the
way things are going at the moment. The Benjani testimonial is a clear example
of how corrupt and greedy these so-called administrators can be. Had it that we
had a responsible government surely this was the right time to intervene as a
matter of urgency to save our football from the doldrums of chaos. We need a
new culture, a new system and a new people at number 53 Livingstone Avenue to
run the affairs of our football Dube and team have failed. Zvazviri!
Blessing ‘Vuvuzela’ Vava
writes from Chipinge
