THE process leading to the election of the next Zifa executive committee is now in motion with nominations having been opened before the vetting process.
These are interesting yet also trying times in the game of football in the country as stakeholders wait with bated breath to know the contestants, particularly for the post of president.
It will be interesting to see grain being separated from chaff in the end after a number of interesting characters expressed interest in leading Zifa.
Some of the characters that have thrown in the gauntlet have interesting backgrounds, while others’ involvement in the game before is hardly traceable.
The rules of the game are spelt out clearly in the Zifa constitution which forbids those that have not been in the Zifa structures for the past five and those that have not been living in Zimbabwe for the last two years.
Those that do not have five Ordinary Level passes cannot contest for the post of president or that of the vice.
The rules governing the elections clearly debar certain characters which are obvious chancers that have never been anywhere near the stadium or have not participated in football activities at any stage over the last five years.
We will let the nomination court handle that bit but we implore the team to fairly apply the rules and regulations so that in the end we have the right candidates to lead the game.
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The game has suffered in the past because of leaders who come seeking employment as a source of livelihood rather than leaders with the right attributes and ideas to take the game forward.
As a nation we can ill-afford another “civil war” like the one we witnessed between Zifa and the Sports and Recreation Commission that resulted the banning of the country by Fifa.
It is time to move forward with leaders that have the game at heart, equipped with the right skills to help the game develop.
Zimbabwe are lagging on many fronts and have been excluded on Fifa projects that could have benefited the country immensely.
Some countries have developed their sports facilities such as accommodation, training, conferences and offices from Fifa funds yet Zifa Village remains an eyesore.
It is commendable that the Normalisation Committee led by Lincoln Mutasa has set in motion the development of the Zifa Village. But this just goes to show how far behind we have fallen compared to other nations.
We need the right people to lead the game and thus implore the authorities to ensure the vetting process weeds out chancers which do not have the game at heart.
