Brian Nkiwane
It is not good to keep on pointing fingers at the country’s beleaguered football governing body, the Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) for all the bad things that have befallen our football. It is high time we resolutely stood up as a nation and tried to come up with lasting solutions that would see the smooth sailing of business at our football mother body. A lot has been said about the alleged fraudulent and unorthodox manner in which the current Zifa president landed at number 53 Livingstone Avenue. His administration inherited a scandal-rocked association haunted by a huge debt from the previous regime, which has led to numerous court cases where creditors are demanding their dues. As a result, the association has helplessly watched its properties being attached by the Messenger of Court. Yes, a lot has been said about Dube buying his way into office, but I think we must give the man a second chance with regards to what he has done for the bankrupt association. Who, like Dube, can sacrifice his personal assets to save Zifa? For the third time in two months, Zifa last week lost its few remaining movable assets after they failed to meet one of the Warriors debts at a local hotel. The Warriors perennially appear to encounter accommodation problems each time they are in camp, which consequently has a negative bearing on their performance. It is disheartening to see national team players being chucked out of a hotel after failure by the mother body to settle accommodation bills. At one point before a World Cup qualifier against Mozambique, the Warriors were chucked out of a hotel after the body had failed to pay for their services. As if this was not enough, they had their passports confiscated, a situation that was going to make it difficult for them to travel to Mozambique. The Zifa boss had to use the title deeds of his house in Glen Leone as collateral for the service providers to release all the players and technical team passports. Now, the Zifa boss is on the verge of losing the house after he or the association failed to settle the debt in agreed time. On Thursday, another Warriors’ service provider pounced on the beleaguered association’s headquarters at 53 Livingstone Avenue and attached property after the association failed to pay up outstanding dues. Special mention goes to a few companies that have come on board to bail out the Warriors in their quest to qualify for the continental biennial tournament, the Africa Cup of Nations and the World Cup. These corporates include Nyaradzo, NetOne and Mbada Diamonds, who are actually poised to get into a long-term relationship with the Warriors. Instead of mentioning all sorts of mischief, I think it is important that we stand up as a nation and give Dube and his board the much needed support so that our players are not abused anymore. I therefore call upon the corporate world to drum up support for our Warriors which they extended to other national teams including women’s football. Let’s stop pointing fingers since we are all in this equation. Instead, let’s hold each other’s hands and rally behind our beloved Warriors. Go Warriors Go. Score Warriors Score.
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