The Zimbabwe Under-20 team is now in South Africa for the Cosafa Championship after initially being denied clearance to participate in the competition by the Sport and Recreation Commission (SRC).
insidesport:with MICHAEL KARIATI
It was saddening to see the supreme sports body, the SRC, and the Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) exchanging harsh words instead of finding common ground on the crisis.
However, the good news is that the team is now in the middle of its campaign in South Africa —which is good for Zimbabwe and the future of its football.
It would have been cruel to deny the youngsters the chance to participate at this competition since it forms part of their transition from the youth to the senior Zimbabwe team — the Warriors.
More importantly is the fact that it also gives the players the chance to get spotted by bigger clubs not only from South Africa, but also from Europe as football scouts follow the contest with keen interest.
First, however, is that this Cosafa competition is the starting point in building a strong team for the Olympic Games and already there are some positive indications from Tonderai Ndiraya’s side.
The skill and determination which Lexington Mujokoro displayed in the Young Warriors’ opening match against South Africa has raised talk that Zimbabwe has a hard rock to build a future Warriors team.
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That is the story for another day, but the question is: Was the denial for the Under-20s to travel to South Africa really genuine or that there were undercurrents which were at play ?
How then did it take just one day to clear the team to travel when we had been made to understand or believe that application for clearance should be made 30 days before ?
The SRC has not come out clear whether there was a connection between the Under-17 age cheating scandal and the refusal to sanction the Under-20 trip also to South Africa.
Another question is: Was the SRC trying to knock some sense into Zifa that there was need to clear the issue of the Under-17 age cheating case before the Under-20 team could be allowed to travel?
Then there is also the question as to why Zifa are refusing to accept the SRC’s decision to suspend Zifa CEO Joseph Mamutse, in the wake of the Under-17 debacle.
Are they being just disrespectful or they are trying to hide something? We have been told that the suspension of Mamutse is while investigations into the Under-17 case are being carried out.
So why can’t Zifa wait for those investigations to be completed before casting aspersions ? What exactly is Zifa trying to hide which the investigation is suspected might unearth ?
Why is this football federation being so defensive when those of Eswatini and Botswana have taken their time to get to the bottom of what exactly happened with their Under-17 teams?
Whatever the case is — as we move forward — what is important is for the SRC and Zifa to work together for the betterment of our football instead of playing hide-and-seek.
The issue of writing and throwing letters at each other does not work for people who live in the same country and can easily organise a meeting to iron out whatever problems they have.
Matters will never be resolved by throwing accusations at each other or being suspicious of one another, but through regular communication and roundtable discussions.
The SRC should also avoid making rushed decisions on national sporting associations without calling them for a meeting to explain whatever matters would be at play.
A lot of blunders are taking place at Zifa and the football federation should also try its best to avoid mistakes that call for the intervention of the SRC or that of outsiders.
With the 2022 World Cup qualifiers coming on top of the Afcon matches, Zifa will need the SRC in future and it is important that the football association realised that when there is still time.
The Covid-19 relief funds that came from Fifa and Caf will one day run out and Zifa will need government funding which they can only get through the SRC.
Zimbabwe are closer to 2022 Afcon qualification and the 2022 World Cup route is not all that difficult and it is up to Zifa and the SRC to work together to make those dreams a reality.
Together and united, Zimbabwe will qualify for Afcon 2022 and probably World Cup 2022 — the signs are there.
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