ZIFA Normalisation Committee Statement On 12 January 2024 | Full Text

It is important in many respects, but mostly because it marks the beginning of the symbiotic relations that we want to nurture going forward.

As the NC, we believe this is a national project, and no-one has a monopoly on information. We understand the important role that the media play in spreading the game of football to every ear and eye nationwide and abroad.

The first six months focussed on internal analysis and of course, it took longer than we expected. The rest of our tenure will be on building football from the grassroots to the formulation of the congress

It is important that you get the picture of what we have done since our appointment in July 2023, where we are now, and what we intend to accomplish before paving the way for the election of a board.

Despite the obvious challenges that we have faced, we have managed to accomplish notable things to set the tone for the critical period ahead.

HOSTING AFRICAN SCHOOLS FOOTBALL CHAMPIONSHIP

One of the greatest highlights of our first five months was the hosting of the African Schools Football Championship (ASFC) for 12- to 15-year-old boys and girls from 14 to 16 December 2023.

To host such a successful regional event so soon after our return demonstrated how capable we are as a nation.

It gave us an opportunity to enhance our relations with different stakeholder groups, especially the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (COSAFA) and the Confederation of African Football (CAF).

The best part of hosting the ASFC games involved the ancillary programmes that were held to benefit Zimbabweans. Programmes availed are:

• Young referees’ course
• Young Reporters’ workshop
• Grassroots festival at Mbare High School
• Safeguarding workshop
• CAF D licence

FIFA WORLD CUP 2026 QUALIFIERS/COMPETITIONS

One of the greatest tests that we faced as a new administration was to play the Warriors’ home match against Nigeria away from home.

We are glad that despite that we do not have approved stadiums at home, our players got the chance to play for their national team.

We are hopeful that the next matches in June will be played in Zimbabwe in front of our fans.

The two games showed us the great potential that Zimbabwe has to be a force on the continent.

What excited us the most was the willingness shown by several players who came to play for the Warriors for the first time (Tivonge Rushesha, Andy Rinomhota). Only the sky can be the limit on what the team can achieve.

The senior women’s team returned to international football by participating in the COSAFA Women’s Championship where they finished 3rd. Again, the performances showed that the team has so much potential to be even better.

We are going to ensure that they play as many games as possible this year so that they can fare better in future competitions.

APPOINTMENT OF NATIONAL TEAMS COACHES

The NC appointed national team coaches to fulfil fixtures in 2023, albeit on short-term contracts due to factors beyond our control.

Our engagements with the Warriors technical team headed by Mr Baltemar Brito ended on 31 December.

That is the same situation with Mr Shadreck Mlauzi who headed the women’s team technical department.

We know that stakeholders are eagerly waiting for the announcement of the coaches. The good news is that we are nearing completion of the recruitment process and the names will be revealed in the next few weeks.

WORKING WITH LEGENDS

Inclusivity is one thing that we value so much and we started implementing it by forging close relations with legends of the game.

For our two FIFA World Cup qualifiers, we brought on board as ambassadors, former Warriors captain Peter Ndlovu, Moses Chunga, and Desmond Maringwa who is also the president of the Footballers’ Union of Zimbabwe.

We strongly believe that legends have a vital role to play in the continued improvement of Zimbabwean football because they have walked the path before.

This is also the trend at both the Confederation of African Football and the Federation of International Football Associations.

CONSTITUTION REVIEW

A critical part of the NC’s mandate is reviewing the legal instruments of ZIFA, especially the constitution and the electoral code.

We have had round table discussions with several stakeholder groups to get insights on areas that need attention.

We are now seized with the formulation of the committee that will assist us in tackling that task.

Once that is done, we will then be able to hold an Annual General Meeting to formalize everything needed to hold fresh elections in an enabling environment.

CLUB LICENSING WORKSHOP

With the assistance of FIFA, we held a club licensing workshop for elite men’s teams to assess the suitability of current competition standards.

Several anomalies were noted and the highest coaching qualification for Premier Soccer League coaches was reduced from CAF A to B.

The NC will continue to consult stakeholders to ensure that competition standards for all tiers are in line with our realities.

STAFFING OF WOMEN’S DESK
We have decided to shift the organisational mindset and this has started with the whole secretariat. To match the global growth of women’s football, we recently recruited a Women’s Football Officer.

She will spearhead the implementation of our women’s football strategy in line with CAF and FIFA guidelines on how to grow the game.

There is definitely going to be a revamp of women’s football this season across all leagues.

CONCLUSION

Our agenda is football, and that is what we want to solely focus on going forward without dwelling on distractions.

Football players have a 10-year life span to build brands. We like to see these players making more headlines than us.

No particular path is correct, but eventually the goal is to get things done to the satisfaction of everyone.

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