Online Reporter
ZIMBABWEAN football has for over 18 months been under the administration of the game’s international federation FIFA and the period of Normalisation is proving to be just what the doctor may have ordered for the country’s flagship sport.
For the last four years, the country’s football has endured a largely difficult and forgettable period during which the game, like all disciplines, was first halted by the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.
This was followed by suspension from the international football family by FIFA after which the world body lifted the sanctions and appointed Lincoln Mutasa’s Normalisation Committee to spearhead a major reform process.
That reform process was also anchored on a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) entered into between FIFA, the government through the Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) and ZIFA.
Having an MOU struck between the three major players in the administration of football has paved the way for normalcy to return to ZIFA.
In fact, we believe that with the goodwill that ZIFA is enjoying from FIFA, the association in particular and the sport at large are poised for exponential growth.
Upon their entry into office on Jully 11, 2023, the Normalisation Committee with the help of FIFA secured a more spacious and upmarket office from where the secretariat could operate.
They also restructured the secretariat and put in place operating systems that are in keeping with current business trends in global football.
FIFA undertook to pay the salaries for the national teams’ coaches — Michael Nees for the Warriors and SithetheleIwe “Kwinji 15’’ Sibanda for the women’s side for the next two years.
Now that should ease some of ZIFA’s major worries as over the years the association and successive administrators have been dragged to court and even to FIFA for failing to pay coaches their dues.
This week, FIFA made yet another huge legacy mark after releasing funds that will see the ZIFA Village finally being turned into the ideal football house that any association needs.
While the property might have been acquired by the Leo Mugabe-led administration during the era of the FIFA Goal Project, the Mt Hampden venue had only seen minimal work done on it for it to look anything like a football training centre.
Successive leaders in the post Mugabe era failed to turn the ZIFA Village into the place it ought to be — a top-notch training centre with training pitches, lecture rooms, offices and accommodation where national teams and even local club sides could camp.
Resultantly ZIFA have, over the years, ignored the ZIFA Village.
Instead, large sums of money were spent on hotels and hiring training grounds when all that could have been saved, had ZIFA been using their own facilities.
As reported in yesterday’s edition of this publication, it has been a refreshing period with ZIFA commencing massive refurbishment works at the Village and even giving themselves a 70-day deadline by which the first phase should have been completed.
And that has been made possible through FIFA Forward Funds.
The project, according to ZIFA, begins with a phase, which will focus on the refurbishment of the boarding house and the transformation of the technical centre into a modern office block and conference room.
Now that is a sound commercial and football investment.
This phase is set to significantly improve the functionality of the ZIFA Village by addressing the accommodation challenges faced by national teams during their assignments and competitions.
Additionally, the upgraded facilities will serve as a hub for hosting the association’s activities and events and these include meetings of Congress, referees, coaches and administrators training workshops.
We believe that FIFA, through the Normalisation Committee, have done their part to set the tone for ZIFA’s growth.
Mutasa and his committee have stressed that efforts are being made to ensure timely completion while adhering to the highest standards of quality and with the guiding hand of consultants hired by FIFA, we have reason to believe they will meet their targets.
In the next phase, ZIFA want to embark on the construction of a standard technical centre and football pitches.
Thus, the rehabilitation of the ZIFA Village is a testament to FIFA’s commitment to drive development in member associations.
The ZIFA Village refurbishment also presents the executive committee that will be elected on January 25, with a platform from which to kick-start their tenure in office.
It also poses a strong challenge to the new ZIFA leadership to jealously guard the ZIFA Village, especially from litigation.
ZIFA cannot afford to go back to the dark era when the Deputy Sheriff could be seen stripping the artificial turf at the Village because it would have been attached because of the association’s failure to settle a debt.
There are numerous examples where FIFA’s help has changed lives in Rwanda, Sierra Leone, Botswana, ESwatini and Lesotho and Zimbabwe could be next and we believe Zimbabweans have the pedigree to even come out tops.
