Wicknell is offside

Sport
The referee has blown Harare businessman Wicknell Chivayo offside for his decision to terminate his association with the Warriors.

The referee has blown Harare businessman Wicknell Chivayo offside for his decision to terminate his association with the Warriors.

INSIDESPORT WITH MICHAEL KARIATI

The Harare businessman should remember that he is the one who offered to help football, not that football asked for his assistance. As a result, he has to fulfill promises he made, including the $250 000 offer for the Warriors to qualify for the 2017 Nations Cup finals.

B.I.G or Sir Wicknell — whatever you want to call him — must stick to the promise he made to bankroll the Warriors until the end of their 2017 Africa Cup of Nations campaign and thereafter decide whether he still wants to hang on.

The Warriors require only three points to make the journey to the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations finals, and Chivayo cannot sabotage the team’s dream by withdrawing his financial resources after having raised hopes.

Former Dynamos chairman Simon Chikomo Makaza says Chivayo should be reminded that he has become too close to the players and his withdrawal could have some far-reaching repercussions on the morale in camp, and the overall team spirit.

“The players love him and the misunderstanding with the coach can be resolved. He should realise the impact of his decision on the players,” says Makaza.

Chivayo claims a number of players, including Knowledge Musona and Willard Katsande, have been in touch with him — with Katsande threatening to resign as Warriors captain should Chivayo stick to his decision.

However, the truth of the matter is that there was nothing wrong with Warriors coach Kalisto Pasuwa demanding his salary for he is entitled to it, according to the contract he signed with Zifa.

What, however, is not clear is who was and is supposed to be paying Pasuwa’s salary — Zifa or Chivayo.

If it is Chivayo, then there was something wrong with the whole arrangement. By allowing himself to deal directly with the national team coach, Chivayo also created the problem in which he finds himself in.

The ideal situation would have been for the national team coach to deal with the Zifa CEO, in this case Jonathan Mashingaidze. Should a problem arise, Mashingaidze would then take the matter to Zifa president Phillip Chiyangwa who would in turn then take the issue with their sponsor.

Nowhere in the world has a sponsor dealt directly with a national team coach or with the players. Everything is done through the national football federation. So where is Chivayo coming from to the extent of calling the Zimbabwe national team coach all sorts of names?

Was it necessary for Sir Wicknell to belittle the national team coach who has done for Zimbabwe more than the money the businessman claims to have forked out? Was it because he donated a car for use by Pasuwa? If that is the case, then he can have his car back.

However, what is now required is dialogue between Zifa and their benefactor to map the way forward ahead of the two remaining Africa Cup of Nations qualifiers against Malawi and Guinea.

However, if Chivayo wants the nation to kneel down and pray to him, then Zifa should let him go with his money, whose source he has never revealed.

The businessman has been gloating that he forked out $600 000 for Zifa and the Warriors in four months. However, a humble George Manyaya in less than a week raised $500 000 and chartered a plane for the Warriors’ 2013 Africa Cup of Nations final qualifier against Angola, but has never boasted about it. Hats off to Manyaya.

Although the Warriors failed to qualify for the finals, despite having been promised residential stands, the whole of Zimbabwe still remembers the national service that Manyaya offered.

Chivayo should also be reminded that the Warriors have been in existence since 1980 and have twice, in 2004 and 2006, qualified for the Africa Cup of Nations finals and nearly went to the 1994 World Cup finals without his assistance.

Even if Katsande — as claimed by Chivayo — wants to relinquish his captaincy of the Warriors because of Chivayo’s departure, he is free to do so as there are too many replacements not only for the captaincy, but for his midfield position as well.

After all, the Warriors picked up four crucial points when Chivayo was not there, and the foundation of where the Warriors are right now in their qualifying group was laid down before the current Zifa regime came into place.

Three of those points were picked up after the Warriors had even travelled to Malawi by bus. What then can make them fail to pick up another set of three points against the same opposition, this time at the National Sports Stadium, and qualify?

In fact, the Warriors could still have fulfilled their matches against Swaziland and collected four points even without Chivayo’s assistance.

The businessman has the right to decide what to do with his money, but he should not hold the nation at ransom. At the National Sports Stadium on June 2, the Warriors will qualify for the 2017 Africa Cup of Nations finals with or without Chivayo’s money.

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