dyton mupawaendaEddie Chikamhi
Zimpapers Sports Hub
AFTER spending four decades in a male-dominated terrain as a football referee and CAF referees’ technical instructor, Sabelo Maphosa believes she has a much bigger vision for Zimbabwean football.
Maphosa has entered the race for the board member position in the upcoming ZIFA elections. Her manifesto is based on building a brighter future for Zimbabwean football through inclusivity, transparency, integrity, and youth development.
She believes the experience she has gained over the years puts her in a good position to tackle the challenges facing the domestic game.
“I am carrying on with what I started in 1985 when I qualified as a referee — the love for sport,” said Maphosa.
“I have been a referee up until 2008 when I retired to concentrate on referee development. Presently I am a referee’s technical instructor. I’m also a referee’s assessor for COSAFA and CAF. I also do matches for FIFA.
“From all those years, obviously, I’ve gained a lot of experience, having been a referee and also seeing what happens in other countries because I’ve travelled almost throughout Africa and parts of Europe.
“I have come to the conclusion that our football needs a lot of attention. We are lagging behind other countries.”
Maphosa is one of the six women from a cast of 38 candidates that are vying for a place on the ZIFA board. But only six will be selected for the board in the January 25 ballot.
She believes Zimbabwean football needs integrity, transparency, and accountability to move forward.
“For us to be able to develop our football, we need people who have got integrity. If that is lacking, then it means no matter how much resources we pour in, the resources will not get to where they are supposed to get.
“So, we need people who have got integrity, are transparent, and are accountable for decisions that they make.
“Once that is there, we may be able to draw many corporate sponsors and partners, people who will trust us to keep their money safe and use it for the purposes that they’ve been directed to.
“We definitely need partners to help us develop our infrastructure, develop our players, and develop even our referees, both men and women,” said Maphosa.
She is also proposing a multi-stakeholder approach to football administration.
“We need to include everybody because it’s not a one-man business to rebuild football. Everybody should be included so that everyone has the opportunity to give their input on ways we can develop our football.”
As a former referee and a current referees’ instructor, Maphosa believes the sector has not been able to match its regional counterparts mainly due to lack of capacitation.
“It also goes back to lack of resources. Referees are basically financing their own development, and if they are financing their own development, it means they are curtailed by the resources.
“We do not have the money to develop referees in line with what other countries are doing. So, if we could have stakeholders coming in to put money towards the development of referees so that the referees can have adequate training and adequate equipment, this is going to help us improve their performance.
“It means we also have resources to go out there, in the rural areas, try and identify young referees who have got potential and train them. You never know; we may get a World Cup referee,” said Maphosa.
