On April 12, Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) president Phillip Chiyangwa got the whole country excited when he announced that he was close to sealing a deal with a huge corporate sponsor to bankroll the Warriors.
BY MICHAEL KARIATI
It was refreshing news as the nation was made to believe that after years of suffering, all Zimbabwe national teams would now have a sponsor who would guarantee a bright future.
Harare businessman Wicknell Chivayo could have been offended when Higher and Tertiary Education minister Jonathan Moyo offered his opinion to the effect that the corporate world was the only way to go if the Warriors were to have a guaranteed financial future.
Surely, Chivayo has played his part in as far as the Warriors and the Mighty Warriors are concerned, but the truth is, the Moyo way is the right route to take.
That route guarantees not only a future, but is also devoid of attached strings which are always associated with individual funding.
Fine, Chivayo is back to support the Warriors — of course without having been asked to, but there is no guarantee that the young businessman will not dump the Warriors on the eve of a game, should something he does not like happen — as was the case with the Kalisto Pasuwa debacle.
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
Unlike corporate sponsorship which has terms of contract, there are no written guarantees with regards to sponsorship from individuals like Chivayo. Because everything is by word of mouth, things can be changed as and when Wicknell wishes.
The businessman has always boasted that the money he is giving to Zifa is his hard earned cash and he has every right to do whatever he wants with it, including withdrawing or suspending his funding whenever he wishes.
His actions are there for everyone to see. He continues to belittle the Warriors coach by paying Pasuwa’s salary in an envelope or in a small plastic, like what used to happen with weekly wages in the industries.
Isn’t there a professional or better way of paying Pasuwa his salary?
Yes, Chivayo describes Pasuwa’s salary as “airtime money”, but the businessman should have some form of respect for those who are giving him the attention that he so much craves for instead of turning to Facebook.
There are other question marks too over this whole Chivayo gesture.
What is the reason for giving the Warriors team captain Willard Katsande a car? What does he need it for? The team captain is supposed to be the leader of the whole team and the team travels together in a bus. So why break the family relationship that exists within the national squad?
The question is: After all these years at Kaizer Chiefs, does this mean Katsande does not have a car of his own for him to take a donation that could be withdrawn anytime the benefactor deems neccessary?
Only a few weeks ago, the businessman was gloating, telling the nation that Katsande had threatened to resign as Warriors captain if Chivayo did not change his decision to cut short his association with the Warriors. Is this car donation going far beyond what the nation can see?
Critics have always argued that there is a danger when a sponsors deals directly with the national team coach, the team captain, or the players themselves instead of through the national football federation. The danger is that the players will get used to this system and lose respect for the football controlling body.
As has always been pointed out, Zifa should put systems in place that will enable them to put forward what they require from the sponsor instead of the sponsor making offers which might not be sustainable in future.
As suggested by Moyo, the solution to the Warriors crisis lies in the corporate world, and Zifa should concentrate more on getting a corporate sponsor sooner rather than later.
It is now close to two weeks since Chiyangwa promised to announce his newly-found “massive Warriors corporate sponsor” and the nation is still waiting for that promise to be fulfilled.
Please Mr Chiyangwa, the nation is waiting for the good news.
For views, comments, and suggestions, email: [email protected] or WhatsApp on 077 3 266 779.
