Munyaka fights for changes in football

Sports Reporter
JACKSON MUNYAKA has seen it all, from his time as a player, coach and owner of a football club and now he has set his sights on helping Zimbabwe football, something which has always been a big part of him, from the boardroom. When times were tough, and the economy was misfiring, he was investing a considerable fortune of his personal funds into running a football club in this country.

He believes the lessons he picked from running his team, Power Masters, complimented with what he learnt in the trenches of playing and coaching, will come handy when he plunges into the boardroom to help run Zimbabwe football. That’s why he has put himself forward as a candidate in the elections set for December 5 where he wants to be a ZIFA board member.

“I’m a qualified electrical engineer whose passion for football is well documented,” he told The Herald. “I’m a former coach of the Dynamos juniors, where l was lucky to work under the tutelage of the late Keegan Mumba who invited me to help him by taking care of the junior teams of the country’s biggest football club.

“My history in the game can be traced to the late ‘80s: when l played for various lower division clubs such as Rhodia FC (zimphos), AVM Rovers, Seke Young Pirates, St Mary’s, Beatrice, Zesa, among others. “In 1994 I became a player/ coach with Beatrice FC and guided the team from Division 4 to Division 2.

“I then moved to Zesa Harare and produced the likes of Newton Katanha who went on to play professional football in Europe for a number of years. “The other players who came through my hands during those years include Tonderai Chimbiru (Gazza), David and Harrington Chikalimbo and Moses Kandiyero and their elevation from Division Two to play Premiership football is testimony of my capacity to nurture talent.

“In Norton l was able to co-ordinate matches that gave exposure to the likes of Teererai Zinyowera, the Masumbuko brothers, Wonder Ngoko, the Musona brothers, to name but just a few.” But it was when he made the big jump to working with the Dynamos juniors that he was able to make a very big impact as he was in charge of the development of such players like Zhaimu Jambo, Trymore Mutisi, Dylan Torinto and Carrington Nyadombo.

He also worked with Bigboy Mawiwi and helped Gunners gain promotion into the Premiership in 2007. He formed Power Master as a social team before it merged with Shooting Stars where he became assistant coach and director of the club.

Later he bought the franchise of Kiglon and Power Master played in Division One for two seasons, with Munyaka bankrolling the team, before it collapsed under the weight of financial challenges but not before producing players such as Raphael Tafadzwa Kutinyu, Ossie Mupumha, James Chitereki and Brian Muzondiwa, who is now making waves at FC Platinum.

Why then has he decided to go for a ZIFA board membership? “After analysing the composition of the aspiring candidates for the Board members l saw that there was no technical person on the list, and I consulted my fellow coaches and friends in football, who encouraged me to enter the race, “ said Munyaka.

“I hope to fight for the coaches, former players, and supporters to have proper structures which are recognised like SCUZ where membership fees will be mandatory and work with the mobile network service providers to administer the membership payments and provide periodical printouts of the state of membership.

“I hope to fight for more coaches, players and even the fans to have a say in the selection of the Soccer Stars of the Year. “We need to have Soccer Stars for women football and beach football.

“I hope to work on improving the image of the game to the outside world and corporates thereby bringing sponsorship. This can be achieved by the establishment of proper functional professional structures in the secretariat at all levels. “All our junior leagues need to be well sponsored because they represent the future of our game and all Premiership and Division One teams should have junior teams.

“We need to see a reduction in the levies paid by clubs to city councils and this is an area that l will fight for if I get elected and we also need partnerships with our colleagues in Europe, South and North America and in Asia.”

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