THE debate about Zimbabwe’s ban from international football by FIFA has been raging on.
Obviously it will go on until the day we are readmitted into the FIFA fold. Eventually it will definitely happen. So many things have been said and so many people blamed for the situation Zimbabwean football is in. As I see it, so many people are to blame and so many people should take responsibility to bring Zimbabwean football back on its feet.
People in (former ZIFA president) Felton Kamambo’s corner will always defend him and say that he is not the one who ‘’killed’’ football as he found it dead it already. To some extent, I do agree with them. Indeed, Kamambo found football in this country in a bad shape, almost dead.
Football was destroyed gradually since the early 1990s. Football was still thriving then, using the old models, and wasn’t dead, as it is now. But then, the culture of corruption in football had already started. Remember the FIFA Goal Project and how we ended up having the little ZIFA Village when there was enough money to build something 10 times bigger?
At that time, the football officials had smelt FIFA money. Luckily, those in charge at the time still loved football enough and made sure they could pinch the FIFA money here and there but still maintained the correct football structures that kept football and its development going.
Some of us were lucky to play football in that era because even at junior level we still enjoyed football in the country.
The biggest problem that happened to Zimbabwean football is that some bad elements, who never loved football, realised there was easy money to be made in football as football money was never accounted for. Noone was ever sent to jail for stealing football money in this country and they saw the gap.
These elements started manipulating the system and found their way into football administration. They bribed, tricked the system and bought their way in. Indeed, they landed on the FIFA money. Because they loved money more than football, they started getting greedier and greedier by the day. Yakatanga kunyanya kunaka mari yacho.
Every passing day they kept making adjustments to football, making sure they spent less and less on football and its development availing more money for themselves to pocket. They started cutting corners, destroying football structures so that they could spend less and less.
These leaders kept coming and going through the elections, all with the idea of stealing the FIFA money instead of coming in to develop football and grow it into a profitable and an industry that could play a big part in the country’s GDP. They didn’t have time and energy for that. They had other businesses to run outside football, which was actually their priority. All they wanted in football was the money and nothing else.
Unfortunately, club football was not so lucky either and was not spared. Because of the economic down turn, some individuals, who had some cash and were rich, found their way into football as club owners and club officials at the beginning of the new millennium.
Most these were individuals, save for a few, who did not really understand football, its structures and purpose of the structures. All they were worried about was to own a Premier Soccer League or Division One club, have a title and get satisfaction from that.
Believe you me, at that point, most of them played a big part in saving football in the country at a time corporates were walking away. That is greatly appreciated.
Unfortunately, this happened by default, their desires were not about football development nor maintaining the right football structures. All they wanted was to own the club and the satisfaction that came with it. Where the players came from or where they were developed, was not their business. Making money from football was not their business either.
They made their money elsewhere. The only football business they were concerned about was the gate takings on match day, in hard cash. In the process they destroyed what was left of club football development strictures. In the very process, development structures were destroyed at national and club levels.
Football started suffering gradually and standards started declining gradually, as we no longer were developing quality footballers. The negative results were not instant. But accumulated over the years and the sad story started telling. The sad part is that those very club owners automatically became councilors in the ZIFA Assembly.
They joined hands with the ZIFA that was only in it for the money. When ZIFA started destroying development structures, there were no cries from clubs because to them it was business as usual and they didn’t see anything amiss, save for a few top-flight clubs like FC Platinum, Ngezi Platinum, Chicken Inn and Highlanders who still valued development.
They were actually happy ZIFA didn’t care about development structures and it suited them. The train kept going without wheels until it derailed. Football started losing touch with important stakeholders like corporates, fans (young and old) and young footballers.
Now, when Kamambo came along, we read his manifesto with nostalgia. Because Phillip Chiyangwa was increasingly unpopular at the time, people saw Kamambo a better alternative. People just needed change and Kamambo came at the right time.
After reading his manifesto, we all agreed that here was a man who was going to take football back on its feet and back to its former glory. Everyone fought in his corner during his court case and many supported him in the battle against Phillip Chiyangwa.
In Kamambo we were already seeing the new ZIFA, flashy ZIFA Football Complex complete with training grounds, lodges and offices. We were already seeing a ZIFA with national team buses and at last ZIFA vehicles. In Kamambo we were already seeing the return of junior football at clubs, well-structured clubs, junior football competition and the resurrection of schools’ football.
In Kamambo we were already seeing the revitalised Premier Soccer League and a return of international junior football.
God, did we get disappointed? Instead of turning football around for the better, he actually made it worse. When we say ‘’Kamambo’’ we don’t really mean him alone as an individual. We are here talking about him, his board and his entire ZIFA administration.
Instead of getting the derailed train back into the track “he’’ actually accelerated it into the bush. He found football still breathing and fighting for dear life, but instead of giving it some first aid and resuscitation, he finished football off and buried it.
This, he did while the clubs were watching and doing nothing much. All because they were also comfortable noone was governing them and noone was giving them ‘’grief ‘’ about development structures.
Their own PSL didn’t even bother. Maybe it was because the very PSL board is made up of the very club owners. Who then was supposed to lead football into challenging the shenanigans at ZIFA and the destruction when they were happy ZIFA was not ruffling their feathers and letting them stay in their comfort zone which was detrimental to football? But what they didn’t really know is that, in the end, it is the whole football ecosystem that suffered and ultimately came back to affect those very clubs and the football business.
They didn’t realise that football business is not just about gate takings but the complete football structures that make real football business achievable for clubs to start realising profits…
Yes, yes, yes … in this very economy when there is deliberate investment, there are proper structures, great product and excitement, football business thrives.
That more money in football, as even corporates also come into football to make money while fans remain excited and supporting the game.
When the football business is thriving FIFA also takes notice and are interested. They come in with more money and more grants. But when they see chaos, they are just happy with the minimum grant to maintain the FIFA elections vote.
Fortunately, it seems the football clubs and the councillors are learning fast, amid the hard way. It seems they are now realising that football needs resurrection and football needs the correct people running it and football needs real football structures. That gives us all hope for the future as we go into the election season. At last, it seems many are seeing the light while we languish in this current darkness
So in hindsight, let’s say Kamambo didn’t “kill” football. The game suffered a slow death from back in the early 90s. But we didn’t really see it because those in charge were not as brazenly corrupt as the crop the followed after them. At least they made sure the structures remained intact.
The football “killing’’ accelerated at the turn of the new millennium, when “new kids on the block’’ with total disregard for football structures arrived. By the time Kamambo arrived, football was still gasping for its breath and he finished it off, complete with burial.
Next week, in Part 2 of this series, I will be talking about the FIFA ban, SRC stance, the Government’s involvement in football, those that have suffered, all the effects of the ban, and why we need to get readmitted into FIFA as a well-structured footballing country.
Until next week …. Cheers!!
* Alois Bunjira is a CAPS United legend who won the Premiership title with Makepekepe in 1996 before he moved to South Africa where he plied his trade with several top-flight teams there, including the now-defunct Bidvest Wits. He writes in his own capacity. – The Herald
