Jonathan Mashingaidze has been blamed for everything that went wrong during the Cuthbert Dube reign as Zifa president.
INSIDE SPORT by Michael Kariati
Few people — if there are any — have forgiven him for the too many blunders he allegedly made and for misleading them on the true status of Zifa’s case with Brazilian coach Valinhos, which was in Fifa’s hands.
The former Sport and Recreation Commission’s Sport For All volunteer made the public believe that everything was in order until the day Zimbabweans received the shattering news that the Warriors had been thrown out of the 2018 World Cup.
That was one of the blunders that Mashingaidze made in his day-to-day association with the Dube-led Zifa board. Chronicling all of them would take all of this space.
It should not be forgotten that Mashingaidze was the man who dealt directly with Fifa and made numerous attempts to protect Dube from being kicked out. Now questions are being raised as to the real reasons why he appeared desperate to keep Dube in office.
Some claim that Mashingaidze was part of all the decisions that Dube made, and also crafted the election manifestos that not only brought Dube to power in 2010, but also gave him an extra four years to run our football for a second term.
Despite his association with the disgraced Zifa board, Mashingaidze still finds himself in the forefront of our football, even after his friends have been made to vacate the office — thanks to the Zifa constitution which was crafted in a way that even if the secretary general is on the wrong side of the law, he assumes power in the wake of the departure of his superiors.
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That is expected in football. Joseph Sepp Blatter was allowed to hang on to power even after he had resigned, while Fifa still wanted Cuthbert Dube to continue as Zifa president even after Zimbabweans had rejected him.
So in the meantime, Zimbabwean football has to learn to continue living with Mashingaidze regardless of the past and hope that the man will change for the sake of football’s success.
Mashingaidze has to be reminded that, considering all that has happened at Zifa in the last five years. The future might be difficult for him should he vacate office at 53 Livingstone Avenue.
He should also know that he is under scrutiny and the first thing the new Zifa board will do is have a look at him and see whether he deserves another stay in office or not.
So, between now and the next Zifa board elections, the former Harare Junior Football Association secretary general has to change the way he does things, or else he will find himself joining the ever-growing vending industry. Now is the time for Mashingaidze to atone for his past mistakes. Chance of a lifetime A chance of a lifetime today presents itself to the Mighty Warriors of Zimbabwe. A 1-0 win over the Lionesses of Cameroon will all but seal their place at the biggest sporting event in the world — the Olympic Games.
Should that happen, the Mighty Warriors will become only the second team in history, after the 1980 golden hockey girls, to make it to the global sporting festival.
Yes, the Warriors are also in action at Barbourfields Stadium in an African Nations Championships qualifier against Lesotho, but if we compare the two events, the Olympic Games have far greater value and the Mighty Warriors need our support more than the Warriors, who have an easier task.
Zifa have seen the importance of the 12th man at the match and are charging $1 for the cheapest seat and $3 for the wings and a modest $5 for the VIP.
So let us all make the journey to Rufaro Stadium and give the Mighty Warriors all the support they require in this time of need.
Mighty Warriors coach Shadreck Mlauzi has for the whole of this week been talking about how ready his charges are for the game. But Mlauzi has to be reminded that Cameroon are not the sort of team to beat in the newspapers, nor on radio or television, but on the field of play.
The fans out there are expecting results and that is the reason why they will be at Rufaro Stadium in their thousands.
After all the years of disappointment with the Warriors, it is time for the Mighty Warriors to make the nation proud. The whole country is waiting.
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