Sports / Soccer
Mugabe mocks Zifa board candidates
16 Mar 2014 at 15:17hrs | Views
Former Zifa chairman Leo Mugabe sees abject failure characterising the tenure of any candidate to be voted Zifa president on March 29.
Mugabe, who was at the helm of Zifa from the early 1990s until the turn of the millennium, has not given a chance to any of the four candidates that seek to run Zimbabwean football for the next four years.
Incumbent Zifa president Cuthbert Dube, outgoing board member marketing Nigel Munyati, forgotten former chairman Trevor Carelse-Juul and Harare City FC chairman Leslie Gwindi are lining up for the race.
Munyati and Carelse-Juul pulled a shocker by throwing their names into the hat against expectations. Mugabe has worked with Dube, Gwindi and Carelse-Juul before.
"All I can see here is failure," said Mugabe
"All the candidates are putting their names into the mud. Zifa is in a mess and each of them is saying they will do a lot, which has become a signature statement. There is a US$4 million debt at Zifa and how do they intend to get the association out of this given the current economic environment? Unless if any one of them has a sponsor to take over that debt, then that is fine."
Mugabe headed Zifa at the time when Dube was chairman of the Eastern Region.
"We created the Eastern Region and we were in total control of it. Dube would just follow our programme. I did not see much of him," said Mugabe.
Carelse-Juul was ousted in the early 1990s and Mugabe succeeded him.
His surprise resurfacing after 21 years in the wilderness has however added spark to the elections.
The Carelse-Juul administration evaded SRC levies and was accused of embezzlement of funds.
"There was chaos when I took over from Juul," said Mugabe.
"I worked with him for a very short while and it was during that time when the PSL [Premier Soccer League] was formed out of Zifa. I am happy now clubs will have a say in these elections. They have power to sway the electorate because they are on the ground and know what is happening in football since they are affected everyday.
"Now we have a problem whereby some of the candidates are coming from outside and do not really know what is currently happening at Zifa."
Gwindi worked at Dynamos and PSL during Mugabe's regime.
However, Mugabe appears to have a soft spot for Gwindi.
"Leslie has experience. Harare City would not be where they are if he was not there. But I am not sure about his capacity on junior development because I would vote for someone with a vision like mine to see development from grassroots."
On Munyati, Mugabe admitted he knows little of the Aces Youth Soccer Academy (Aysa) director whose football school churned out the core of the current Warriors team.
The likes of Knowledge Musona, Khama Billiat, Silas Songani, George Chigova, Lincoln Zvasiya and Brian Abbas Amidu are Aysa graduates.
"I am not too sure about Nigel's capabilities. But he should tell us what went wrong when he was in this Zifa board. He was around and witnessed many things," he said.
Veteran football administrator Ndumiso Gumede has contrasting views to Mugabe's sentiments.
He believes the race for Zifa presidency is between incumbent boss Dube and Munyati although he has put his money on the former.
An electorate comprising 59 voters will cast their votes to determine the fate of Zimbabwean football. Former Highlanders vice-chairman Elkana Dube and Omega Sibanda will battle it out for the vice-chairman's seat.
"The elections are going to be interesting," said Gumede.
"They will be for Dube to win because he has solid support. If I was part of the electorate, I would vote for Dube for he has done a lot of good work for our football by single-handedly sustaining Zifa.
"Munyati has a lot of commitment and can make a nice president too. He is still young and is doing well with his academy."
With Gumede being part of a board that was on Gwindi's case following his utterances criticising Zifa, it is not surprising that he did not have much good to say about the Harare City chairman.
He also feels Carelse-Juul has bounced back at the wrong time when his name had been erased from Zimbabwean football books.
"I do not have any enthusiasm for Gwindi. I doubt if he would be a good president because that position requires someone who is not controversial.
"I have known Trevor since the mid-1980s and he had a lot of support but failed to make any mark as Zifa chairman. He just went into oblivion and no one knows where he was. Less than 50% of the electorate knows him."
Mugabe, who was at the helm of Zifa from the early 1990s until the turn of the millennium, has not given a chance to any of the four candidates that seek to run Zimbabwean football for the next four years.
Incumbent Zifa president Cuthbert Dube, outgoing board member marketing Nigel Munyati, forgotten former chairman Trevor Carelse-Juul and Harare City FC chairman Leslie Gwindi are lining up for the race.
Munyati and Carelse-Juul pulled a shocker by throwing their names into the hat against expectations. Mugabe has worked with Dube, Gwindi and Carelse-Juul before.
"All I can see here is failure," said Mugabe
"All the candidates are putting their names into the mud. Zifa is in a mess and each of them is saying they will do a lot, which has become a signature statement. There is a US$4 million debt at Zifa and how do they intend to get the association out of this given the current economic environment? Unless if any one of them has a sponsor to take over that debt, then that is fine."
Mugabe headed Zifa at the time when Dube was chairman of the Eastern Region.
"We created the Eastern Region and we were in total control of it. Dube would just follow our programme. I did not see much of him," said Mugabe.
Carelse-Juul was ousted in the early 1990s and Mugabe succeeded him.
His surprise resurfacing after 21 years in the wilderness has however added spark to the elections.
The Carelse-Juul administration evaded SRC levies and was accused of embezzlement of funds.
"There was chaos when I took over from Juul," said Mugabe.
"I worked with him for a very short while and it was during that time when the PSL [Premier Soccer League] was formed out of Zifa. I am happy now clubs will have a say in these elections. They have power to sway the electorate because they are on the ground and know what is happening in football since they are affected everyday.
"Now we have a problem whereby some of the candidates are coming from outside and do not really know what is currently happening at Zifa."
Gwindi worked at Dynamos and PSL during Mugabe's regime.
However, Mugabe appears to have a soft spot for Gwindi.
"Leslie has experience. Harare City would not be where they are if he was not there. But I am not sure about his capacity on junior development because I would vote for someone with a vision like mine to see development from grassroots."
On Munyati, Mugabe admitted he knows little of the Aces Youth Soccer Academy (Aysa) director whose football school churned out the core of the current Warriors team.
The likes of Knowledge Musona, Khama Billiat, Silas Songani, George Chigova, Lincoln Zvasiya and Brian Abbas Amidu are Aysa graduates.
"I am not too sure about Nigel's capabilities. But he should tell us what went wrong when he was in this Zifa board. He was around and witnessed many things," he said.
Veteran football administrator Ndumiso Gumede has contrasting views to Mugabe's sentiments.
He believes the race for Zifa presidency is between incumbent boss Dube and Munyati although he has put his money on the former.
An electorate comprising 59 voters will cast their votes to determine the fate of Zimbabwean football. Former Highlanders vice-chairman Elkana Dube and Omega Sibanda will battle it out for the vice-chairman's seat.
"The elections are going to be interesting," said Gumede.
"They will be for Dube to win because he has solid support. If I was part of the electorate, I would vote for Dube for he has done a lot of good work for our football by single-handedly sustaining Zifa.
"Munyati has a lot of commitment and can make a nice president too. He is still young and is doing well with his academy."
With Gumede being part of a board that was on Gwindi's case following his utterances criticising Zifa, it is not surprising that he did not have much good to say about the Harare City chairman.
He also feels Carelse-Juul has bounced back at the wrong time when his name had been erased from Zimbabwean football books.
"I do not have any enthusiasm for Gwindi. I doubt if he would be a good president because that position requires someone who is not controversial.
"I have known Trevor since the mid-1980s and he had a lot of support but failed to make any mark as Zifa chairman. He just went into oblivion and no one knows where he was. Less than 50% of the electorate knows him."
Source - thestandard
