‘It’s not football’

Sport
FORMER Premier Soccer League (PSL) chairman Twine Phiri (pictured) has launched a thinly-veiled attack on the Phillip Chiyangwa-led Zifa, accusing them of running the local football like a political party.

FORMER Premier Soccer League (PSL) chairman Twine Phiri has launched a thinly-veiled attack on the Phillip Chiyangwa-led Zifa, accusing them of running the local football like a political party.

BY DANIELNHAKANISO

Twine Phiri
Twine Phiri

Zifa’s unrelenting meddling into the affairs of the PSL has left the top-flight league in danger of losing their title sponsors Delta Beverages and facing the prospect of a season without a sponsor for the first time in seven years.

Phiri, credited for transforming the PSL brand and making the top-flight league attractive to the sponsors, decided to walk away from football administration completely in June last year after disposing his remaining 20% stake in CAPS United and transferring his shareholding to his long-time partner Farai Jere.

“I have been watching what’s happening hoping that things will change, but the situation has only gotten worse and I won’t hesitate to say it as it is anymore. The truth of the matter is that it’s no longer football, it’s politics and you can quote me on that one,” Phiri told Standardsport in an exclusive interview.

“Our football is now being run like a political party. We cannot continue to have a situation where if one has a different view, he/she is considered an enemy, and all efforts are made to ensure that person is banned or suspended,” the former CAPS United owner added.

“In Zimbabwe we have great football minds; I know there are capable people who have a passion for this game who are saddened by what they’re seeing at the moment. What has been happening over the last few months is an insult to the sponsors who have been loyal to our football even in the most difficult times and the end result is that it will destroy our football.

“Some people will say that maybe I’m saying this because I want to get back into football, but that’s not true. In fact, I have no plans of coming back into football anytime soon. I’m not interested in any post. I’ve actually been approached by several clubs who wanted me in their structures, but my position has been clear,” he said.

The Harare businessman was at the helm of the PSL since 2010 and was expected to see off his tenure next year before he was pushed out by the current Zifa board upon its coming into office in December 2015 after spending six years at the helm of the topflight league.

Zifa has since then also suspended Phiri’s successor, Highlanders chairman Peter Dube from all football matters for allegedly violating sections of the association’s constitution in the wake of the rift between the football mother body and the PSL on the league’s promotion and relegation criteria.

While Zifa accused the suspended Highlanders boss of interrupting formal congress proceedings and addressing delegates at a heated Zifa assembly without seeking permission from Chiyangwa, video footage of the incident released last week showed that he was given permission to address the floor by the latter.

In-between, former Highlanders chief executive officer Ndumiso Gumede was also expelled from all football-related activities, while CAPS United board chairperson Lewis Uriri was also suspended.

PSL clubs recently resolved to engage the Sports and Recreation Commission to find an amicable solution to the continued interference by Zifa in its administration and operations which has impacted negatively on new negotiations between the league and their sponsors Delta Beverages.

Delta have maintained that they will not negotiate for sponsorship renewal with the PSL that was facing a leadership crisis following the suspension of Dube.

The beer and soft drink company is also reportedly not happy with Zifa’s unconstitutional resolution to increase the number of topflight teams to 18, which is in violation of PSL statutes.

Delta Beverages have bankrolled the Castle Lager Premiership League championship for the last six years, in addition to the country’s biggest knockout competition, the Chibuku Super Cup, and also the Soccer Star of the Year awards, among other programmes on the domestic football calendar.

Phiri said he was saddened that their success in bringing the sponsor Delta Beverages back to local football after years of absence was being destroyed.

The respected football administrator also played a key role in the Supersport deal that saw the satellite channel securing television rights of the local topflight league.

“I feel sorry for the upcoming footballers who are still coming up the ranks because I don’t see any foresight from the way our football is being run. My heart bleeds for locally-based players who face the prospect of playing in a domestic premiership which has no sponsor.

“When I took over the PSL in 2010, there was no sponsor to bankroll the league and I know how it feels to play football without money on the table, but we managed to turn the situation around and make the PSL into an attractive brand which was attracting several sponsors and partners. People don’t realise that the reason why we were successful was because of the respect we gave our sponsors and partners by adhering to good governance,” he said.