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Philip Chiyangwa

Petros Kausiyo Deputy Sports Editor
FOLLOWING pledges from the Government and the PHD Ministries leader Prophet Walter Magaya, ZIFA president Philip Chiyangwa has revealed an audacious move by his Association to bid for one of the major Confederation of African Football’s competitions in 2021.Chiyangwa was last month elected into CAF’s organising committee for the African Cup of Nations where he deputises, Amaju Pinnick of Nigeria.

The ZIFA boss, who has never made a secret of his ambitions to transform the face of Zimbabwean football, paid glowing tribute to Magaya for his support to the Warriors whom he described as the senior side’s new benefactor.

Chiyangwa said he would want the country to host any of the CAF tournaments such as the Under-17, Under-20, Under-23 and even the Nations Cup itself as he was keen to leave a legacy in the national game that included having successfully led Zimbabwe into hosting a major football tournament.

Yesterday, the Harare property mogul met with the Minister of Sport and Recreation Makhosini Hlongwane and Magaya at the prophet’s complex in Waterfalls where the trio discussed at length the need to get Government to lead the way in infrastructure development including the building of more stadiums across the country.

After that meeting Chiyangwa and Magaya emerged to face the local media at which both men outlined their ambitions to have new stadiums built and also have the existing infrastructure upgraded to meet the required CAF standards.

“I asked the Minister when Government could be ready to host such a tournament like AFCON and he indicated that from 2021 Zimbabwe could be ready to host CAF Under-17, Under-20, Under-23 or even the AFCON itself.

“There are some bids that are going on at CAF for future tournaments and the prophet said he is willing to assist in infrastructure development for that 2021 bidding process and this stadium that we are sitting on he would want to finish it and construct a road from Ardbennie that links to the stadium,’’ Chiyangwa said.

Magaya, a soccer-mad prophet who has pledged to support the Warriors cause to secure a place at the 2019 African Cup of Nations in Cameroon, once again expressed his disappointment at being frustrated by the Chitungwiza Municipality, who surprisingly turned down his offer to refurbish the decaying Chibuku stadium.

The PHD Ministries founder also announced that he would also construct a stadium in Bulawayo in addition to the 1 500 houses and three schools he is building in the city.

“Given a chance in terms of sport I am willing to assist and I am just waiting for the cup to come to my plate and if they say they want a stadium or two I am willing to do it.

“If they say they want now I will do it and I was talking to my ZIFA president and he said how soon can we start and I said as soon as possible,’’ Magaya said.

In lauding Magaya for his support of the Warriors, Chiyangwa said he was also happy to note that the players had expressed satisfaction with the hospitality they were receiving at their new camp.

“This sponsorship came specifically as arranged by my team manager (Wellington Mpandare) who is a son to the prophet and suggested that I should meet with the prophet to arrange for some sponsorship.

“If you speak to the players individually they are very happy in terms of hospitality and the training facilities and trust that the prophet will continue with his support to the national team,’’ Chiyangwa said.

Following Magaya’s gesture to offer ZIFA five-star accommodation and training facilities at the PHD stadium in Waterfalls, the Warriors have refreshingly been going about their business without having to worry about being locked out of the National Sports Stadium for non-payment of stadium fees, being stuck at their lodge due to non-availability of transport and crucially having to haggle with the football authorities over where to stay.

It is such smooth partnerships that Chiyangwa believes will also culminate in infrastructure development with the ZIFA president also lauding Magaya for taking the initiative to construct a state-of-the-art stadium in Waterfalls, which he believes will augment such venues like Rufaro and the National Sports Stadium in servicing the domestic game.

In response Magaya said building facilities such as schools, stadiums and houses had always been part of his vision for the country.

“My vision and my dream has always been to construct a state-of-the-art stadium. I had a plan of finishing my stadium, but I had stopped hoping that Chitungwiza would give me a chance to refurbish their stadium which didn’t come through, but I already had plans for this stadium,’’ Magaya said.

“We are saying we want to build stadiums and they are being added under the banner of football. We are not saying the stadium will just be for football, but other sports as well, but football should be given priority. Football is what has motivated the construction or the renovation.

“When we had the talk (with Chiyangwa and Hlongwane), the stadiums were the main agenda that is being brought on the table and the agreement that is coming to the table is that we want to host a football tournament which shows that the agenda here is football.

“So the Ministry of Sport or that of Public Works, they must also take into consideration that football is what has motivated those renovations or the move that has made that construction to happen is football.

“I feel that any normal organisation must take into consideration that the move that has made that to happen is football so there must be a side contract which then favours the sport that has caused that change or renovation to happen.

“But we are not saying any sport may not utilise that stadium because stadiums can be used by any sport, but the banner that is causing that to happen is football,’’ Magaya said.