Sports / Local
Prophet Magaya not running for Zifa Presidency
07 Oct 2015 at 06:21hrs | Views
PROPHET Walter Magaya, who has poured a fortune in donations into ZIFA coffers and is building a 25 000-seater multi-purpose sports stadium in Harare, has dismissed suggestions that he is positioning himself to become the next leader of the debt-ridden association.
The Prophetic Healing and Deliverance Ministries leader has injected more funds, in donations, into ZIFA than any other individual and corporate this year as he bailed out the Warriors and Mighty Warriors on a number of occasions.
He handed 560 000 rand to the Warriors, who went to the COSAFA Cup, in South Africa earlier this year, bailed out the team ahead of their trip to the 2017 Nations Cup qualifier in Malawi and also gave the senior national team $20 000 to quell a revolt against the ZIFA leadership on the morning of the 2017 AFCON battle against Guinea. Magaya is also building a 25 000-seater stadium in Harare's Waterfalls suburb, which he hopes to complete by the end of this year and - as ZIFA search for a president after Cuthbert Dube was unceremoniously ousted by the councillors on Saturday - his name has, inevitably, featured prominently in the race to become the next leader of domestic football.
As the game searches for its new leader, Magaya's passion for domestic football, where he also owns Division One franchise Gunners and his vision that success for the Warriors should be determined by dancing with global football heavyweights at the World Cup, has won him nay admirers who believe he could be the right man to lead ZIFA.
But Magaya says his plate is full at the moment and becoming the next ZIFA president was not part of his priorities.
"I will not take that offer to lead ZIFA, if given the opportunity, because I have enough on my plate at the moment," Magaya told journalists in Pretoria.
"I am building a stadium, basketball court, swimming pool, volleyball court, running tracks (in Waterfalls). I want to promote sport at the highest level. We are going to employ sports administrators who are going to manage the facilities and coordinate all activities, including identifying talent and promoting it to its highest level.
"My desire is for the facility to send to the next Olympics, at least, 30 people who are very good in different sporting disciplines.
"I am building this facility mainly for the benefit of the community. I have discovered that Zimbabwe has a lot of talent, but we are failing to identify and promote it.
"I was praying to finish the stadium in November, but I think I have failed. December is now my target."
Last year, Magaya said it was his wish to see the Warriors playing at the World Cup finals and believes the country has the potential to qualify for the biggest football tournament on the globe if only the players, fans and officials can share the same belief.
A number of names have been mentioned, in connection with the race to succeed Dube, whose mandate to lead domestic football was revoked just 18 months after he was handed a fresh four-year term in March last year with the councillors adamant that the Harare business executive and his leadership had lost their way.
The Prophetic Healing and Deliverance Ministries leader has injected more funds, in donations, into ZIFA than any other individual and corporate this year as he bailed out the Warriors and Mighty Warriors on a number of occasions.
He handed 560 000 rand to the Warriors, who went to the COSAFA Cup, in South Africa earlier this year, bailed out the team ahead of their trip to the 2017 Nations Cup qualifier in Malawi and also gave the senior national team $20 000 to quell a revolt against the ZIFA leadership on the morning of the 2017 AFCON battle against Guinea. Magaya is also building a 25 000-seater stadium in Harare's Waterfalls suburb, which he hopes to complete by the end of this year and - as ZIFA search for a president after Cuthbert Dube was unceremoniously ousted by the councillors on Saturday - his name has, inevitably, featured prominently in the race to become the next leader of domestic football.
As the game searches for its new leader, Magaya's passion for domestic football, where he also owns Division One franchise Gunners and his vision that success for the Warriors should be determined by dancing with global football heavyweights at the World Cup, has won him nay admirers who believe he could be the right man to lead ZIFA.
But Magaya says his plate is full at the moment and becoming the next ZIFA president was not part of his priorities.
"I will not take that offer to lead ZIFA, if given the opportunity, because I have enough on my plate at the moment," Magaya told journalists in Pretoria.
"I am building a stadium, basketball court, swimming pool, volleyball court, running tracks (in Waterfalls). I want to promote sport at the highest level. We are going to employ sports administrators who are going to manage the facilities and coordinate all activities, including identifying talent and promoting it to its highest level.
"My desire is for the facility to send to the next Olympics, at least, 30 people who are very good in different sporting disciplines.
"I am building this facility mainly for the benefit of the community. I have discovered that Zimbabwe has a lot of talent, but we are failing to identify and promote it.
"I was praying to finish the stadium in November, but I think I have failed. December is now my target."
Last year, Magaya said it was his wish to see the Warriors playing at the World Cup finals and believes the country has the potential to qualify for the biggest football tournament on the globe if only the players, fans and officials can share the same belief.
A number of names have been mentioned, in connection with the race to succeed Dube, whose mandate to lead domestic football was revoked just 18 months after he was handed a fresh four-year term in March last year with the councillors adamant that the Harare business executive and his leadership had lost their way.
Source - the herald
