Women football teams blast Gumbo

Sport
SOUTHERN Region stakeholders in women’s football say Zimbabwe Women’s Soccer League chairperson Mavis Gumbo is a stumbling block in the development of women’s football following last year’s failure to have a national league.

SOUTHERN Region stakeholders in women’s football say Zimbabwe Women’s Soccer League chairperson Mavis Gumbo is a stumbling block in the development of women’s football following last year’s failure to have a national league.

Representatives from Matabeleland South, Matabeleland North and Bulawayo met on Friday and expressed their discontent about the way women’s football is administered in the country as businesswoman and former journalist Miriam Sibanda launched her campaign to challenge Gumbo in the upcoming elections.

Among issues of concern was the failure to develop women’s football at grassroots level, an inconsistent regional and provincial league which was all attributed to Gumbo’s incompetence.

The stakeholders said lack of resources was not the major challenge in women’s football, but the misuse of those resources has been the major factor affecting the development of the sport.

Clubs also said the Gumbo-led executive owes them an explanation about the sponsorship package of $3 million unveiled by Marange Resources in 2012 to fund women’s football.

“We are still trying to follow proper channels to investigate the issue, we have been asking how those funds were used, but no answers have been provided so far.

“The executive owes us an explanation about that because we need those funds,” charged Nkanyiso Bhebhe a New Orleans official. The Women’s Super League last took place in the 2012 and was won by Black Rhinos.

Responding to the pathetic situation in women’s football, Sibanda said if she was voted into office, all the problems will be a thing of the past.

“Stakeholders have raised their concerns and as an aspiring candidate, I am willing to make these problems a thing of the past.

“Development is a process, not an event so it might take us time to achieve our objectives, but working together with stakeholders I know it can be an easy mountain to climb.

“We need to rebuild the structures from the grassroots level, especially at schools, not only concentrating on the national team,” Sibanda said.

Elections are set for March 8 in Harare.