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Petros Kausiyo in JOHANNESBURG, South Africa
ZIFA got an insight into their partnership with La Liga will work out when the association’s officials witnessed the Spanish top-flight roll out the South African version of their #passtheball project in Alexandria yesterday. Led by their technical director Wilson Mutekede, the ZIFA delegation were part of the proceedings as La Liga, who had earlier struck a partnership deal with SAFA before signing with Zimbabwe, unveiled the programme mainly targeted at under-provided children in the sprawling township of Alexandria.

Barcelona legend and former Dutch international Patrick Kluivert, who was in Zimbabwe in November, headlined the guest list at the official launch as the La Liga/SAFA marriage went a step further.

Kluivert, who is now a La Liga ambassador, is expected to visit Zimbabwe again when the ZIFA programme with the Spanish top-flight is officially inaugurated and the former Barcelona man reiterated his commitment and dedication to his ambassadorial role.

La Liga has since dispatched coaches from Spain to South Africa who are working with trainers of junior footballers in Alexandria.

Interestingly, among the young coaches that have been selected by SAFA for the programme which involves more than 1 000 boys and girls, is former Highlanders skipper Gilbert Banda, who is now staying in Johannesburg.

Each of the 1 000 children drawn from schools in Alexandria were at the end of the launch given a soccer ball, t-shirt, cap and bag by La Liga with the Spanish top-flight’s officials expressing hope that the balls in particular would inspire the students to pursue their football dreams.

But, more importantly for ZIFA president Philip Chiyangwa and his association, is the keenness that La Liga director for Africa Antonio Barradas and his team expressed on rolling out their programme in Zimbabwe.

Both Barradas and Kluivert spoke passionately about how education and sport were the key drivers in taking children away from the social vices.

“After launching in Alexandria, we will go to Cape Town and then we will do it in Zimbabwe and we will discuss with Philip when and where we can do it. So it depends when Zimbabwe will be ready but we already have a an agreement in place
“This is a tree that we have planted here and the trainers will be based in South Africa and sent to Zimbabwe,’’ Barradas said.

The La Liga Africa boss also revealed that a gift of a ball he received when he was seven years old in a Spanish village had inspired him to try to change the lives of children across the world.

“When you give a soccer ball to a kid they will play with a friend and it teaches them the spirit of sharing and I think that through education and sport you can get children off the street.

“I also think that the governments of Zimbabwe and South Africa should embrace this programme and we hope that in a few years’ time these children will be playing for clubs in Spain and other European countries.

“We cannot do it all alone, we will work with the authorities and our aim is to continue spreading it to more countries like Zambia,” Barradas said.

SAFA president Danny Jordan said his association had signed a number of international partnership agreements since last year.

Jordan also saluted the warm relations his association is enjoying with their Zimbabwean counterparts.
“Last year in October we spent a week in Spain to engage La Liga and looking at the kind of things we thought were important to learn from them,’’ said Jordaan.

“We have our national academy and now we are building nine provincial academies and we had to look at such models like the Real Madrid academy.

“We are also working closely with ZIFA through Philip and he has also signed an agreement with La Liga and we will see the benefits of the Zimbabwe football as we continue to work with Philip. We will also support counties in the region because we can only be stronger if our region is strong.”

Mutekede saluted the partnership which he said had set the tone for “some interesting times in Zimbabwean football”.