THE Zimbabwe Football Association (Zifa) executive committee last week reflected on its first 100 days in office, affirming its collective resolve to restore integrity, transform football administration and usher in a new era of excellence for Zimbabwean football.
The new team was voted into office on January 25 this year to replace the Fifa-installed normalisation committee, which had been baby-sitting the association for nearly two years.
The team, led by business executive Nqobile Magwizi, promised to espouse accountability and transparency— the missing elements in previous Zifa excos.
That the exco has issued a report on what it promised to do and the state of affairs indicates that it lives up to its promise of being transparent, one of the key building blocks of a successful organisation.
Such transparency and accountability are important in luring corporates to local football.
Corporates have been giving football a wide berth, fearing that their reputations will be soiled by maladministration and chaos.
In the name of transparency, Zifa has appointed Norman Gwangadza as head of finance and administration. This is a key appointment to ensure the resources of the association are accounted for. A story is told of how a former president oversaw the buying of tissue paper for the association.
Zifa has also appointed Mark Ruck as commercial manager as it seeks to commercialise the association. The world over, football is a multi-billion-dollar business in which corporates stampede to get a share of the limelight associated with the world’s beautiful game.
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The new administration at Zifa has built bridges, roping in a losing Zifa presidential candidate in the Roots & Dreams initiative — an ambitious plan to lure Zimbabwean players in the diaspora to play for the national team.
The plan is billed to lure more players to the national team ahead of the Afcon finals in Morocco in December.
The exco has been establishing good relations with former contenders as it seeks to rebuild football.
This is commendable as it taps into the vast knowledge of our people. That one lost the election does not mean they have nothing to offer to our game. The biggest winner must be football.
The team must not drop the ball in its quest to improve the local game. The grassroots must be developed to build a conveyor belt to the national team.
That exercise needs the support of the corporate world and development partners. The response has been promising with an UN agency having been roped in.
Magwizi and his team must continue prodding the government to fast-track renovations at the National Sports Stadium for The Warriors to play home matches at home so that they enjoy the benefits of the 12th man.
In the Afcon and World Cup campaigns, The Warriors played home matches in Rwanda, Uganda and South Africa.
What Zifa has shown in the first 100 days is that nothing is impossible. You need the right attitude and to walk the talk to get partners on board.
