Jere bids farewell to PSL

Langton Nyakwenda

Zimpapers Sports Hub

IT was more of a goodbye and, at the same time, a gentle reminder of the good and bad things the top-flight league encountered in a six-year journey that began on September 9, 2018, when Farai Jere was elected Premier Soccer League chairman.

Jere, who is stepping down from his post on December 31, spent the better part of yesterday with the 18 PSL board of governors.

The day began at Borrowdale Estates, where Jere unveiled a 1.4ha piece of land that was acquired by the PSL for US$250 000.

It ended at a Harare hotel where the governors met for an extraordinary general meeting that approved the 2025 Premier Soccer League budget.

The EGM also deliberated on the new ZIFA constitution, which now recognises the Premier Soccer League as a member.

It means the top flight will have 19 voters, including the 18 representatives from clubs, at the ZIFA elections set for January 25 next year.

Jere is contesting for the ZIFA presidency and will step down from his post as PSL chairman on December 31.

But Jere can still bounce back as a PSL governor, even if he loses the ZIFA election, by virtue of his position as the CAPS United president.

“This is going to be my last meeting in my capacity as the PSL chairman, but I may come back again because, as you know, I am the president of CAPS United,” Jere said, soon after the EGM.

“But the PSL is a system.

“I am leaving this office by the 31st of December, and I won’t be the PSL chairman.

“My vice chairman, Lifa Ncube, will take over until the next PSL elections.

“Whoever will win the PSL chairmanship race will join us at ZIFA, where I will be the president,” declared Jere.

But the charismatic administrator has to wait until Monday, when the ZIFA Ethics and Integrity Committee will release names of candidates who would have passed the integrity test.

Yadah Stars owner Walter Magaya, Sakunda Holdings representative Nqobile Magwizi, former Warriors skipper Benjani Mwaruwari, and Northern Region chairman Martin Kweza are vying for the ZIFA presidency.

Philemon Machana, Marshall Gore, former legislator Themba Mliswa, and former Premier Soccer League chairman Twine Phiri have also expressed interest in the hot seat.

“We want football to be led by people who understand the problems we have in football,” Jere said.

“That’s the direction we want to take, and this is very critical, very important.”

The Premier Soccer League was founded in 1993, and since then the top-flight league has operated from rented offices.

Despite being the flagship football league in the country, the PSL has been a tenant for the past 32 years, shifting bases from the National Sports Stadium and City Sports Centre to Eastlea, where the top-flight competition is currently administered from.

But yesterday, at Borrowdale Estates on the outskirts of the capital Harare, a new chapter for the top-flight league was written.

A 1.4ha piece of land was unveiled, and on it, the PSL intends to build “state of the art” offices, a conference room, a football pitch, and apartments.

“This is quite historic; it signifies where we want to take our football,” said Jere.

“This has never happened in the history of the Premier Soccer League.”

Added Jere: “We cannot talk of football development without talking about infrastructure development.

“That’s why even when you want to build a house, you start by putting up a makeshift structure.

“This had never happened for the past 32 years; it’s the first piece of land that we will have on the balance sheet of the PSL.

“It is going to be the home of our football; all the PSL clubs will be identified by this place, and the legacy of those who played our football before without offices, the great players, we are building on their legacy.”

Jere revealed that women’s football will also be accommodated.

“We will also incorporate women’s football. They need to also have offices to operate from.

“We are trying to show the world the direction we want to take, because this is what defines the seriousness of the league.

“If you are to take the bottom-placed team in the league, its value was actually bigger than the value of the PSL, because we didn’t have any tangible asset.

“We are always preaching the issue of club licensing, the issue of clubs having offices, and yet the PSL didn’t have its own building.