Former Zimbabwe Football Association and Cosafa president Phillip Chiyangwa has ruled out a return to mainstream football leadership, but is willing to give one or two helping hands should they be required.
The property mogul contended that he has played his part in football as president of Zifa, president of Cosafa - the biggest regional football body in Africa -- and prides himself in reshaping the Confederation of African Football better known as Caf.
As campaign manager for Madagascar's Ahmed Ahmed in the 2017 Caf presidential elections — Chiyangwa orchestrated the ouster of the late Issa Hayatou as head of Caf after the Cameroonian had ruled African football for 28 years and wanted four more.
Hayatou was constantly accused of giving an unfair advantage to n orth and west Africa at the expense of east, central, and southern Africa especially in the selection of hosts for the Africa Cup of Nations, hence the high praise Chiyangwa received after the elections.
The Zimbabwean businessman had prior to that gathered most of the voting African football leaders in Harare for his "birthday celebrations", which turned out to be the final Caf election campaign platform for Ahmed.
"I successfully served my term as Zifa president. I led Cosafa, the biggest regional football grouping in Africa with success. I played my part at Caf, the continental football body. It's time to give others a chance. After all, I am now 62-years-old, " Chiyangwa laughed off.
He added, "There was a time I heard that I wanted to be Zifa president again. I said to myself, Zifa president, when I had been high up there at Cosafa. Why go down the ladder when there is Caf and Fifa up there."
The former Zifa boss said he was still around to give Zimbabwean football a helping hand should it be required but felt there were one or two things which were or are being done wrong.
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"How can an association change a constitution towards an election. The 5 'O' level requirement was just meant to eliminate some strong and capable candidates. Education does not run football, but knowledge to do it," Chiyangwa said.
He added, "If I had my way, I would allow all those hungry to administer football to have their chance. How and why do you eliminate former footballers on the basis of education when they spend or spent most of their time on the field of play instead of the school bench,?" asked Chiyangwa.
Chiyangwa was Zifa president from 2016 to 2018 and led the Cosafa region from 2018 to 2022. Cosafa is a grouping of 14 African football playing nations and is the most influential on the continent.
As Zifa president, Chiyangwa qualified Zimbabwe to two Afcon finals in 2017 and 2019 and thereby becoming only the second Zifa president in history after Rafik Khan in 2004 and 2006 to achieve that feat.
His reign at Zifa was regarded to have been one of milk and honey as it was punctuated by a good choice of coaches Kalisto Pasuwa and Sunday Chidzambwa as well as a good welfare of national team players.
"The national team is the pride of the nation. You need to make the players happy for them to give out their best. That is what we tried to do," said the former Zifa supremo.
Chiyangwa said football gave him all what he wanted and during his reign as Zifa and Cosafa president he created friends in high places with Uefa president Aleksander Ceferin being one of them.
Ceferin invited the Zimbabwean to the 2024 European Championship finals in Berlin where Chiyangwa attended the semi-finals and the final between England and Spain which Spain eventually won.
Chiyangwa also maintains a close relationship with Fifa president Gianni Infantino as well as with Caf president Patrice Motsepe, another of the FIFA vice presidents.
Infantino visited Zimbabwe in 2017 at the invitation of Chiyangwa for the businessman's much-talked about birthday celebrations.
