Chiyangwa is on fire

PHILLIP CHIYANGWA appreciates that there is a constituency that considers him a joke.

This constituency wonders how a 58-year-old man who dresses flashy, calls himself the king of selfies and has a habit of talking his way into trouble ever got to ascend to the post of Zifa president.

Trying to get their heads around the fact that Chiyangwa is also the leader of the Council of Southern Africa Football Associations (Cosafa) is a Herculean task for them.

Fifa president Gianni Infantino's recent visit further complicates matters for this lot.

Chiyangwa has this knack of pulling rabbits out of the hat!

We don't know how Chiyangwa made it happen but the most powerful man in world football was in town last week and joked about preparing the Zifa president for bigger things.

Infantino's visit was a masterstroke on the part of the Zifa president, a massive coup that is also set to massively benefit local football with several projects set to be announced in the coming weeks.

When Chiyangwa first announced that Infantino will be jetting into Harare for the PC @ 58 celebrations his gospel found a few takers.

Even a letter from Infantino confirming that he would be coming over failed to convince some Doubting Thomases.

And as a programme that was supposed to start at 7 pm delayed at the Harare International Conference Centre last Thursday, there were murmurs that Chiyangwa had sold the nation a dummy.

Infantino was initially expected to touch down at 6 pm but had not done so by 9 pm.

The Fifa boss only touched downed at 9:03 pm aboard his private jet and wasted no time in making his way to the party's venue.

With Infantino in town, Chiyangwa was ready to put up a show.

First to enter the auditorium was Fifa secretary general Fatma Samba Diouf Samoura.

Infantino followed minutes later accompanied by Chiyangwa in his pink suit.

The Zifa president milked every moment, he had once again pulled a Houdini act.

"I know to some people I come across as a big joke," the Zifa president later said in his brief and well thought out address.

"Let's treasure tonight. Sometimes I act like a joke but I achieve big. Tonight I will not say much but I would rather show you results."

Not saying much is something Chiyangwa will have to master in the run up to next month's Caf elections.

The Zifa president is a marked man.

Issa Hayatou wants Chiyangwa's bald head.

Hayatou is ruthless when it comes to dealing with those that oppose his reign like what Chiyangwa is doing through being Ahmad Ahmad's campaign manager.

Ahmad will attempt to end Hayatou's reign during elections slated for March 16.

It's being claimed that that Ahmad already has 35 votes in the bag but while this cannot be taken for fact what is undeniable is that Chiyangwa's stature as a football leader is growing fast on the continent.

His "Caf, Caf…Fifa" statement is no longer sounding like a joke.

Chiyangwa has done Cosafa already and when Nigerian Football Federation president Amaju Melvin Pinnick describes him as the future of African football, it becomes clear that a position in Caf is what he wants next.

"Chiyangwa is the future of African football and the FA presidents who are here and those that are not here are solidly behind the revolution he has started," Pinnick said on Thursday night.

One of Chiyangwa's loyalists and Zimbabwe Soccer Supporters Association leader Eddie "Mboma" Nyatanga was bowled over by having Infantino in town and went wild at the HICC.

Shouted Nyatanga: "We love you PC, the Fifa president is here. You are our bread and butter. Now go and lead Caf. You are the football grand master."

Heavens know where Chiyangwa will go from here but last week he showed that he is no joke.