The most watched sporting event in the world happens to be the FIFA World Cup, with an estimated global audience of about 4 billion and more than a billion people tuning in to watch just the final itself. With that it is arguably fair to say football is the most loved and popular sport in the world. The numbers are quite staggering and for the wisest of authorities they have been able to reap the commercial returns that come with those numbers.
For the great continent of Africa, it’s no different as football is the number one sport for most countries if not all from Cairo to Cape Town, Nairobi to Accra it is the sport that brings people together in a brotherly spirit of the founding fathers, a brotherly spirit of Pan Africanism.
It is no surprise that the first international matches the newly Independent Republic of Zimbabwe took part in were in a four nation Uhuru cup tournament. Uhuru is a Swahili word meaning Freedom or Independence and interestingly in that four nation Uhuru cup were the nations of Zambia, Mozambique, Tanzania and the new born baby of Africa the newly independent republic of Zimbabwe.
The brotherly spirit of Pan African-ism I have alluded to earlier at play, with the nations that had played a protagonist role in helping Zimbabwe achieve independence, showing that brotherly spirit through football. The new republic of Zimbabwe triumphed in that 4 nation Uhuru cup tournament getting the better of rivals Zambia in the first of many episodes of the battle of the Zambezi as the match between the two neighbors is referred to.
The late David Mandigora and Shacky Tauro scored to win the match 2-1 on that famous epic independence night at Rufaro stadium. The soon to be new authorities together with their Frontline comrades realized nothing else could express better the fraternal pan Africanist bond their peoples had other than football, and with that didn’t football deserve every moral support the sport could possibly get from the new authorities.
Not any other game sport was played on the night of Zimbabwe’s Independence night, it was only football not any other sport proof of the weight the sport commanded and still does amongst the peoples of this great nation.
Unfortunately for the football loving peoples of this country myself included that did not herald the genesis of a new chapter for the most loved game amongst the indigenous peoples, as had been anticipated with football capping the historic celebrations on that night of April 17th, 1980.
With the country’s biggest football nemesis to the north in Zambia known by the name KK11 after the founding president the late DR. Kenneth David Kaunda it was an indication of the support from the highest office the country’s football team enjoyed. Even when the country tasted success at the Gabon Africa cup on Nations in 2012 the late DR. Kenneth Kaunda now former head of state was present to cheer the Zambian team on, in their hour of glory. And, with the fraternal bonds between the two countries would it not have been natural for the national team to be referred to by the name of the man at the helm at Munhumutapa offices. In this instance Robert Mugabe would it not have been inspiration enough for the national team to be referred to by initials RG11 or anything along those lines.
If president Paul Biya of Cameroun could avail himself as the head of state to convince Roger Milla to come out of retirement, and in turn led the Indomitable Lions of Cameroun to the 1990 World Cup quarter finals, so could the authorities in our case do the same and the national team would not under achieved as they continue to.
Several heads of state have worked magic on their respective national teams, Nelson Mandela in South Africa when his support together with the government’s inspired South Africa to supremacy of continental football in 1996 at the FNB stadium.
As the years of independence have unfolded and continue to, football has simply been reduced to a public relations political stunt by the powers that be to give the impression that they are a government in touch with its people. This can be shown by the government’s ignorance not to put in place a coherent football policy to manage and govern everything to do with football, and if it is the sport for the majority frameworks ought to be in place to bring sanity, order and the highest measure of professionalism. You look at countries like India that have realized cricket as the game for the billion plus people frameworks have been put in place and with such the game has produced enormous talent and commercial revenue making the sub-continent nation a superpower of the game.
Yes, you have the Ministry of Sport and the country’s soccer governing body ZIFA the two institutions have literally failed continuously to bring smiles to the faces of many soccer loving Zimbabweans. ZIFA has suffered from poor leadership which has ultimately fed into producing poor football structures who can forget the days of one Leo Mugabe nephew to the late founding president whose stewardship of the football association was disastrous from the hiring of coaches and poor management of the national team. Yes, government interference invokes a FIFA ban from international football as is the case now but what incompetent Ministry of Sport, government gets blackmailed by so called football administrators under the guise that the national team will be banned if they interfere. Who can forget how the Cuthbert Dube administration, would stand up to any would be higher authority from government whilst they ran down the country’s football talent. And for a man who was implicated in the salary gate scandal of 2013 that rocked state parastatals when he was chief executive of the government owned Premier Service Medical Aid Society.
Someone with such a charred track record you wonder how they were given the opportunity to run national football with such impunity. And with the array of young talent that boomed during his dismal administration the country found itself in the same quagmire of poor preparations, dressing room squabbles largely influenced by player salary issues.
The climax of the maladministration showed itself in the Wellington Nyatanga led ZIFA led board when the national team got involved in match fixing schemes in Thailand, Malaysia, Vietnam with Henrietta Rushwaya recently implicated in the gold mafia network in an Al Jazeera documentary leading the scam as ZIFA CEO. Would a responsible government not be compelled to act in such an instance FIFA consequence aside, mere individuals dragging the country’s name and reputation into the mud and the government remains silent with perpetrators not getting prosecuted.
To any lay man the government was complicit, accomplice in the whole scheme of things reason the half-hearted response. And to think that during those days of the Nyatanga led ZIFA board the late Vice President Joseph Msika was flaunted as the patron of the national team with such shenanigans of match fixing later manifesting you wonder could the government have been involved. Anything is possible with Zimbabwe as the Al Jazeera gold smuggling documentary is showing.
And if the Vice President was the patron of the national team how would the national team embark on such illicit trips were matches were fixed, without his knowledge tarnishing the nation’s football reputation. And let’s say he was not aware so his supposed, purported said patronage was just to legitimize their dirty schemes and get authorities not to question because the highest office is involved so its legit
The government’s failure to rein in only to wait when things have got to the point of no return beats the mind, and as Bruce Grobbelaar the finest goalkeeper to date in the country’s history mentioned in an interview with Trevor Ncube on the show “In Conversation with Trevor” ZIFA is rotten, corrupt and have destroyed the lives of footballers.
He narrated how a huge chunk of the national team budget was abused by both the ZIFA president and his deputy, arguing why would FIFA invoke a ban on Zimbabwe because of government involvement when the government is trying to ascertain the abuse of funds allocated to ZIFA BY FIFA themselves.
True to the words of the Jungle man as Bruce was called during his playing days, footballers’ lives have been destroyed and other sectors that feed off football, you mention match officiating who were the last match officials to hog the limelight on the grand stage since Felix Tangawarima and Brighton Mudzamiri.
You mention football punditry how it has also been affected by the government’s failure to bring about sanity, the talents of people like Charles Mabika, Stanley Katsande, Admire Taderera, Mike Madodha, Barry Manandi amongst many ohers have gone to waste yet with a thriving football system they could hold their on with the Peter Drurys’, Gary Linekers of this word.
With the state of football who would notice their talent
Hosea 4 verse 6 says My people perish because of lack of knowledge, the holy scripture is true in the case of the government of Zimbabwe and the so-called football administrators who Mann the offices at number 53 Livingstone Avenue where the ZIFA offices are. And also where is no vision abuse is inevitable and that just sum up the government’s role on the face of national football in Zimbabwe.
