By Courage Dutiro
As the Zimbabwe Football Association (ZIFA) presidential election campaigns heat up, aspiring candidate and former Warriors fitness trainer, Temba Mliswa, has promised to bring professionalism, new strategies, accountability and transparency to Zimbabwean football if elected.
The elections are slated for January 25, 2025, with the new president expected to bring sanity to the association which is marred by mismanagement.
Speaking during a meeting with Zifa Eastern Region football councilors in Masvingo, Mliswa said his desire was to bring order in the Zimbabwean football and to assist local football to have sponsorship deals through his expertise and professionalism.
“I’m not bringing money, but expertise. No individual has the financial capacity to fund and develop football alone. What is needed is a professional structure that is funded by the likes of Government and Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA).
“There are a lot of companies that want to sponsor or advertise through our local football, but they cannot put their money where there is a lot of noise. They need transparency and accountability. I will ensure this by bringing these issues to the boardroom,” said Mliswa.
Mliswa, who also served as the Caps United Football Club (FC) fitness coach when they won the BP Cup, said the local football needed new strategies to bring people back to the stadiums and strengthen their sponsorship position.
“Our stadiums are empty and that makes it even harder to attract sponsorship or negotiate TV right deals. Thus we need new measures that bring the people back to the stadiums to strengthen our position in sponsorship deals.
“Football is a family sport. If elected, I will allow all school going children to enter the stadiums for free on match days, as long as they are accompanied by their parents or guardians and provide some sections that are suitable for family setups,” he said.
Mliswa, who seem to have a long term vision of the local football believes he has the capabilities to lead the nation’s football governing body due to his rich history in sports.
He also said he is going to come up with strategies to develop football from the grass roots.
“Children should start loving the game while they are still in their early stages at school. I am going to work with organizations such as the National Association of Primary Heads (NAPH), the National Association of Secondary Heads (NASH), tertiary institutions and other organizations so that we can start building our football from schools, ward level including those in rural areas up to the national level,” he said.
Other known contenders in the race are United Kingdom based Marshall Gore, Walter Magaya and Martin Kweza.
Richard Wangu Mazodze owner of the Masvingo based Eastern Region Division One Soccer League outfit FC Wangu Mazodze is also said to be interested but has not yet done anything to prove it though the nomination process has begun.
The mandate of the current national football mother board expires at the beginning of the new year.
