Today marks exactly one year since the ZIFA Restructuring Committee was appointed as the nation sought answers to the bigger problems haunting Zimbabwean football.
The committee was put in place by the Sports and
Corruption and mismanagement had become endemic and it quite unfortunate, the game is at its all-time low following the suspension by
This has been the most painful period for Zimbabwean football since Independence.
The senior national team could not take part in qualifiers for the 2023
But what is happening on the ground now to ensure that when the
If the national teams are incorporated into the regional and international tournaments, how smooth will be the reintegration?
Sometimes the slow pace with which the reform processes are moving is confusing.
We hope and trust that the leadership at ZIFA and the
The nation has missed out on international games and opportunities for technical development under the auspices of
The ZIFA Restructuring Committee, we presume, has been busy on their mandate. We also trust they have the future of the game in mind, as well as the long term plans for
The committee's mandate is expected to run until the end of this month and beginning January we should be seeing the direction the game will be taking.
The talent is abundant, but the administration part has been the major hindrance. There is no infrastructure in place and the financial resources are often scarce.
Lack of vision and probably the absence of required expertise has made the game to suffer. For over 10 years, Zimbabwe ZIFA and PSL have been unable to implement the
We can also learn from our brothers from the continent who have been part of the 2022
But how are they doing it?
The GFA are always successful with their strategic plans and always have a vision of helping the game to achieve new heights in the medium and long term.
Apart from sound administration, financial prudence and infrastructure, they also prioritise grassroots development. Zimbabwe have a fondness of recycling old players because of lack of development blueprint.
Of course, Zimbabwe should forget about the 2023 CHAN tournament to be held in
But the 2026
It is also set to become a little bit easier to qualifier after
All these are opportunities for exposure for our players.
The good thing is the ZIFA Restructuring Committee is now in the final stages of their mandate and could be handing over their recommendations to the
The Restructuring Committee have delivered on the first part of their mandate by requesting a forensic audit into the ZIFA books.
The Restructuring Committee's report is as crucial to the reforms as the forensic audit report that was produced by an independent audit firm last month.
The country's football governing body was left with a lot of soul-searching after a forensic audit carried by an independent auditor unearthed massive financial irregularities at
The audit by BDO Zimbabwe revealed that ZIFA could have been prejudiced of over
The forensic audit was one of the key undertakings by the Sports and
It was appointed in line with the provisions of Section 21, as well as 19(b) and 20 (c) of the SRC Act to tackle issues of strategic nature in the search for solutions in Zimbabwe's perennial football administration problems and is not assuming the roles of the ZIFA board that was recently reinstated by both
The board had been suspended on allegations which included lack of transparency with public funds, maladministration, bribery, vote-buying during election time and the sexual harassment of female referees.
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