Our football needs a facelift

The current political environment in the country coupled with poor socio-economic performance have adversely affected the most watched beautiful game of football.

Football is art and business. It brings joy, memories, happiness and on the other side it creates employment.

For the first time in Zimbabwe's football history the sport has reached the rock bottom level where big matches pitting big clubs are now attracting just a few supporters. Nothing will move if our politics is bad. We must fix this and save our sport.

The Zimbabwean  Premier Soccer League Zifa and SRC have connived to destroy the once beautiful and entertaining game of football in the country leaving the football fans licking their wounds and repelling themselves from the most pouplar sport in the world.

When the politics of a nation takes center stage in sporting activities the end result is that the sponsors start running away with their sponsorship.

The introduction of businessman Kuda Tagwirei to Zimbabwean football thought it was going to breath fresh air to the sport but unfortunately it has not improved the game at all but infact  has dampened the spirits of other would be sponsors who felt like not associating themselves with the country's politics.

Sports and Recreational facilities across the country have been destroyed and are now an eyesore . Worse when we have a President who only concentrates on power retention and thinks that one day the sportsmen will  overthrow his government.

For the game of football to survive it must not be yoked to the politics of the day and there should be no any kind of government interferences, hence the ban from FIFA which has done a very big blow to the football fraternity.

Besides, political interferences the government media has not done enough to market the sport. Poor marketing  skills on the only television channel where most of it's prime time is dedicated to Zanu-PF propaganda, surely the sport will always suffer from football kwashiokor.

This so called new dispensation and also known as the second republic with its worst performing  Minister of Sports is really a scam to the majority of soccer loving people. There is not even sense of urgency when it comes to addressing issues killing our beautiful game of football. Most promising players have been affected with some eyeing to sign deals and contracts from clubs outside the country.

Whenever there was a game pitting Highlanders and Dynamos at Rufaro Stadium one would  see a very large crowd filling the whole stadium and after the match, the city council would go all the way to the bank smiling.

The truth being said, looks like most supporters who used to grace these matches have migrated to other countries due to economic hardships.

The remaining supporters are now feeling the brunt of harsh economic environment and poor standards of playing and also cannot afford to pay for such matches Until we put our politics in order the most watched beautiful game of football will remain in the deep football morass.

Email - konileonard606@gmail.com
Twitter - @Leokoni
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