ZIFA must get their house in order “The public is reminded that this is a sensitive subject and that they should not take unfounded steps that could compromise the investigations,” read a Zifa statement yesterday.

FOR the last few months, ZIFA and their affiliates have been pushing the Government, through the Sports and Recreation Commission, to give them the green light for the resumption of football in the country.

The national game was brought to a halt in March this year when Government announced the national lockdown to give the country a fighting chance to deal with the deadly effects of the Covid-19 outbreak.

By then, only the Castle Challenge Cup between Highlanders and FC Platinum, which was meant to be the curtain-raiser for the domestic Premiership programme, had been played at Barbourfields.

The Government’s swift intervention has been hailed, by many analysts, as a model which helped this country avoid plunging into an abyss, as Covid-19 wreaked havoc, in many parts of the world.

Zimbabwe was always going to be a special case, because of our proximity to South Africa, which had the highest number of those infected by Covid-19, across the continent.

With the huge human flow between the two countries, it meant that we were facing the barrel of the gun and, thanks to the swift intervention of our authorities, we managed to avoid the worst case scenario.

However, this is not the right time for us to lose the focus, which has served us well, so far, and start behaving as if we are immune to the deadly effects of Covid-19.

That’s why we agree with authorities, and medical experts, there is need for everyone to continue showing the vigilance which has so far kept us out of the eye of the storm.

While some of the conditions have been relaxed, across the country, it’s not a licence for us to start behaving as if this pandemic is behind us and, as shown in Europe and the Americas, a second wave can strike anytime, with devastating consequences.

Football was not given the all-clear by the Government to resume its activities when other low-risk sporting codes, like cricket and tennis, were handed the green light to get their players, and coaches, back on the fields and courts.

However, last week, the Government, through the Sports Commission, came up with a trial programme for the resumption of the national game when it announced that the Premier Soccer League clubs could resume training upon satisfying strict conditions.

These include the testing of all their players and officials while, in terms of competition, the starting point has to be a mini-league,staged in a secure bio-bubble environment, for the top-flight clubs.

ZIFA and their affiliates who have been battling for the resumption of football were ordered to take care of the costs of ensuring that everything will be done in accordance with the regulations to ensure that the training sessions and the mini-league will provide fertile breeding ground for the spread of Covid-19.

Youth, Sport, Arts and Recreation Minister Kirsty Coventry hinted that ZIFA could use part of the US$1,8 million bailout, which they received from FIFA and CAF, to bankroll the initial phase of the return of football.

ZIFA president Felton Kamambosaid while they had allocated funds to take care of the testing of the players and officials and pay the match officials who will be involved, they cannot afford to bankroll the entire programme of a two-week bio-bubble for the mini-league.

With the PSL clubs set to start training on Monday, the signs that we have been getting from the domestic game’s leaders are confusing and it appears the experiment for the national game to resume, which was roundly cheered when it was announced last week might not go ahead as planned.

This has consequences, of course, because we want the home-based players to start training, as soon as possible, and also play some few competitive games, so that they can be in good shape, when they represent the country at the Nations Championship finals in Cameroon in January.

We can’t afford to send players, who have not trained, and more importantly, played in some competitive matches for over a year to represent us at such an important tournament like the CHAN finals.

We have to respect the national flag which these players carry on their kit whenever they represent us and if we can’t get our players into prime shape, where they can produce their very best in Cameroon next year, then it’s not worth sending them to that tournament.

This is why we believe that this mini-league tournament as prescribed by the Sports and Recreation Commission for domestic football to test its preparedness for a possible full-scale return to its activities, is important and has to be played at all costs.

ZIFA and their affiliates have to find a way of funding this tournament because the costs cannot be compared to the benefits that come with paying this tourney.

As one former ZIFA board member correctly pronounced, there is no reason why the association should talk about pumping money into Division Three and Four leagues that have been dormant for the past decade when there is the urgent  and important issue of getting the domestic Premiership underway.

If they don’t successfully run this trial tournament in the next two months, what guarantees are there that they will be allowed to get the full programme underway next year?

We don’t understand the wisdom of investing in leagues that had disappeared from the radar when the very leagues which have been producing clubs that represent us in the CAF inter-club competitions and provide the players who represent us at the CHAN final are ignored?

Clearly, ZIFA have a lot to explain because they can’t talk about Division Three and Four referees when the domestic Premiership is crying out for a helping hand and the future of our CHAN finals team is at stake.

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