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Robson Sharuko-Senior Sports Editor

THE Sports and Recreation Commission have invited the ZIFA board to a meeting in Harare next month, for the two bodies to discuss the poor state of the national game, which finds itself being weighed down by a number of serious challenges.

The high-powered indaba has been pencilled in for November 16, the day the Warriors are set to complete their miserable 2022 World Cup qualifiers, with a dead rubber against Ethiopia, at the National Sports Stadium.

While SRC chairman, Gerald Mlotshwa, chose to use a lot of diplomacy, in his invitation letter, there is no questioning the dark mood, enveloping domestic football, calling out for urgent interventions to save a game, now lying on its deathbed.

The timing of the scheduled meeting could not have been ironic.

It is set to be held on the very day the Warriors’ poor 2022 World Cup campaign, blighted by an embarrassing defeat to Somalia, which made headlines around the globe, finally comes to an end.

That loss, on the neutral fields of Djibouti, turned the Warriors into the laughing stock of the entire football world and gave Somalia their first victory, in a World Cup qualifier.

“The Sports and Recreation Commission (SRC) is extending an invitation to the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) Board to a meeting with SRC Board on Tuesday, the 16th of November, 2021,’’ SRC boss, Mlotshwa, wrote to his ZIFA counterpart, Felton Kamambo, on Monday. 

“Whereas an agenda and logistics for the proposed meeting will be finalised and shared in due course, the underlying rationale for the meeting will be to discuss issues of mutual interest for the two entities, in the development of the sport code (football) in the country. 

“Following your request for a meeting between the respective Boards of ZIFA and SRC, the Commission believes the time for such a meeting is now. 

“The SRC Board Chair has availed a date and time slot to provide a platform for positive engagement between the two parties and provide a basis for collaboration in areas of mutual interest. 

“As such, convening the meeting will hopefully usher a new discourse providing for improved and mutually-beneficial relations between ZIFA and SRC, for the greater good of the sport and recreation sector. 

“We look forward to this important meeting taking place as proposed. Your cooperation and support to that end, is greatly appreciated.’’

There is little doubt the indaba will be held under a cloud, especially as it comes on the day the Warriors will complete a World Cup campaign seemingly plucked from hell, in which they struggled badly.

The crisis in their camp was highlighted by the three different coaches, with each taking care of two games so far, in a sorry adventure that was started by Joey Antipas.

He took charge of the first two qualifiers against Somalia.

Antipas was soon replaced by the hapless Zdravko Logarusic, whose shadowy recruitment remains a controversial subject in domestic football, with the Croat taking charge of the two matches against South Africa and Ethiopia.

He was replaced by Norman Mapeza, after the shock defeat to Ethiopia finally forced the ZIFA board to admit their experiment with the Croatian Clown, camouflaged as an international football coach, was dragging the Warriors into the abyss.

Mapeza has also taken charge of two matches, against the Black Stars of Ghana, with the Warriors losing both games.

However, the lowest point remains the loss, at the hands of Somalia, which exposed the serious challenges now facing domestic football.

That Somali team fielded players who included a driving instructor based in Manchester, a captain struggling to secure a club and some drawn from the backwaters of the Finnish, Norwegian, Italian and American amateur leagues.

Somehow, while ranked 202 in the world, they found a way to defeat the Warriors and, in the process, halted a run of 19 consecutive defeats, stretching back eight years.

Even now, two years later, the wounds inflicted by that shock defeat are still to heal and the statistics still make up for some sorry reading:

90 — the number of places, on the FIFA/Coca-Cola world rankings, which separated Somalia and Zimbabwe, at the time of their battle in Djibouti.

35 — the number of years, which had passed, since Somalia’s last win, in a major tournament, either in the World Cup or AFCON qualifiers.

10 — the number of years, which had passed, since their last victory, in any form of football, which had come in a friendly international, against Tanzania.

27 — the number of winless matches, which the Somalis had played, since their token victory over the Taifa Stars, ahead of their battle against the Warriors.

18 — the number of successive defeats the East Africans had suffered, in all competitions, ahead of their shock victory over the Warriors.

0 — the number of World Cup qualifying victories for Somalia before they meet and, against all expectations, defeated the Warriors, in Djibouti.

7 — the number of players, who were playing in either a World Cup or AFCON qualifier, for the first time in their careers, who were fielded by Somalia in that match.

29 — the number of years, which had passed, since the East Africans played at home, in a World Cup qualifier, before their meeting with the Warriors. 

11 — the number of World Cup qualifiers Somalia had played, drawing three, including two against Niger, and losing eight, including five-goal defeats at the hands of Ghana, and Ethiopia, ahead of their win over the Warriors.

There has been intense pressure on the SRC to intervene in the affairs of ZIFA, with some fiery hawks even pushing for the dissolution of the current leadership, of the association.

However, it appears the SRC have been concerned about the possible backlash, including the suspension of this country from international football, which might come from FIFA.

Two years ago, the SRC were told by FIFA they could not dissolve the ZIFA leadership, without consequences from Zurich, after they had taken the initiative of advising the world football governing body of their intentions.