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Ray Bande in MUTARE

AGE-CHEATING is a cancer that has been allowed to spread through the country’s entire football anatomy because of shocking lack of data keeping in domestic football administration, the ZIFA Restructuring Committee was told.

In an emotive consultative meeting held at Chancellor Primary School in Mutare on Saturday, the ZIFA Restructuring Committee, which is on a whirlwind of the country to gather views on areas that need attention in football development, speaker after speaker, among the stakeholders who gathered for the Mutare indaba, bemoaned the lack of basic tenets of corporate governance, a shocking absence of a comprehensive data base of players, coaches and administrators, absence of vibrant junior and women’s football activities.

The ZIFA Restructuring Committee leader during the tour of Mutare, Tommy Sithole, acknowledged that they have heard that cases of age-cheating have been propounded by the lack of a comprehensive data base that would allow football administrators to track age and profile of each and every player or administrator in the game of football.

“This was an important meeting where we managed to get to hear the concerns on the ground. We have heard that there is no data base for ZIFA for them to understand the numbers and levels of players from youngest of the junior teams up to the top-flight league teams. This has paved way for cheats to prevail and in the end humiliate our national teams. Therefore, as a Restructuring Committee we are here to hear this from you (stakeholders) and that will form the contents of our report at the end of our mission,” said Sithole.

The Zimpapers board chairperson said the lack of respect for women’s football and the alleged abuse of FIFA grants meant to benefit grassroots development of the game are some of the major contributions they got from the meeting in Mutare.

“This was indeed a fruitful meeting where we saw emotions running high and people making valuable contributions. We really want to thank them for taking their time to be with us and share their thoughts and views on how best we can improve the game of football in the country. 

‘’The lack of respect for women’s football, the lack of a comprehensive data base and the failure of FIFA grants to benefit grassroots development of the game of football are some of the major contributions we got from the meeting here in Mutare. We will have this included in our report as we go ahead with the mandate we were given as a committee.”

In his contribution during the meeting, Manica Diamonds chairperson and former FIFA panel assistant referee, Masimba Chihowa, said they only know that the country was a beneficiary FIFA grants for development of junior and women’s football as well as referees but they hardly recall witnessing the resources trickling down to grassroots.

The ZIFA councillor said the country does not have any data base for officials and players to talk about.

“It is sad that we have been led down the garden path for a long time. We know the country has been benefiting from FIFA grants meant for women and junior football development but we have never seen these resources being channelled to the right beneficiaries in the grassroots. The same applies to referees development, the grants meant for that are not being used for that purpose. Whether the money is diverted to salaries and other expenses like national team assignments, our view is that it is not the right way of approaching administration. Resources meant for development must be used for what they were disbursed for. 

“I also want to put it on record that our data base is in shambles as a fraternity. We do not have records and data that details the identity and history of our players and officials from their early days in the game. This is atrocious and unacceptable. We sincerely hope the Restructuring Committee will help record this and make the nation aware so that we have solutions to it as a way forward,” said the National Association of Primary Heads (NAPH) Manicaland province chairperson.

Only recently, Dynamos was kicked out of the inaugural Marvelous Nakamba tournament in Bulawayo after fielding a 22-year-old man at the Under-17 tournament.

Zimbabwe football legend Moses Chunga says stiff sanctions should be imposed on football stakeholders involved in age-cheating.

Bambo, as the veteran and well travelled coach is fondly referred to, believes age-cheating has been allowed to go on for a long time in domestic football when the practice should have been eradicated a long time ago. 

The lack of respect for women’s football was also highlighted by long-time women’s football administrator and former player Cecilia Gambe. She said there was no point of pandering to the whims of FIFA for the sake of keeping on participating in international competitions and earn the country nothing but humiliation.

Gambe urged the ZIFA Restructuring Committee to carry on with its mandate in earnest and in good faith.

She bemoaned the lack of respect towards women’s football since Independence.

“It is sad that we have gone through humiliating moments as a nation and some of us as individuals all because of our love for the game of football. We just want to urge the Restructuring Committee to stand its ground, carry on with its mandate in earnest and good faith. When we get over this phase we should emerge a better force. 

“I say this with a heavy heart, coming from women’s football where we have never been accorded any respect and recognition and yet our achievements are there for all to see. Our girls at national team level have done resoundingly well but all they get is peanuts. Why not accord us the respect we deserve and we also make the nation proud? Imagine a player being given US$5 after not only representing the nation but having represented well. Talk of the boys, they will demand US$10 000 each before kicking the ball. This is where we have been getting things wrong as a nation and as football leadership. In other words, in football, we were going nowhere too fast as a nation,” said the outspoken Sakubva-born and bred football administrator. 

The ZIFA Restructuring Committee is a product of the Government, through the Sports and Recreation Commission, in the efforts to bring back sanity to the administration of the game of football.

The suspension of the Felton Kamambo-led board and the subsequent installation of the Restructuring Committee resulted in the expulsion of Zimbabwe from the international family of football, a punitive measure the country is still grappling under.

Meanwhile, the ZIFA board recently saw some light in their battle for recognition and dragging Zimbabwe back into international football.

For the first time, since the Kamambo-led leadership was elbowed out by the ZIFA Congress, and replaced by a committee led by Gift Banda, there has been some positive movement.

FIFA have acknowledged receipt of communication from the Banda leadership, which also has a number of board members, who were part of the Kamambo leadership. Only Kamambo, Phil Machana and Bryton Malandule had their mandates revoked by the Councillors.

Sugar Chagonda, Farai Jere, Barbara Chikosi and Banda were given the benefit of doubt while they have also co-opted others to help them run domestic football.

The co-opted members include ZIFA Northern Region chairman, Martin Kweza, Alois Masepe and Kenneth Mhlophe.